Roger Goodell uttering the name “Daniel Jones” served as perhaps the most shocking moment of the draft, and the decision that led to the commissioner reading that card did not come easy for the Giants.
Dave Gettleman had another name in mind, in the event the Giants felt their short-term need at defensive end was too great to ignore at No. 6. The second-year Giants GM said (via NBC Sports’ Peter King) the decision to bypass Josh Allen for Jones was “agonizing.”
“I agonized over that,” Gettleman said. “I agonized. Before the draft, we discussed that thoroughly as a group — first last Friday, then again Wednesday. Obviously we had great regard for Josh Allen. But the one thing I have learned is you don’t fool around with a quarterback. If he’s your guy, you take him.”
Gettleman said post-draft he knew of two teams that would have taken Jones before the Giants’ No. 17 pick. The Jaguars snapped up Allen at No. 7, doing so despite not expecting the Kentucky edge rusher to be there. Jacksonville was expecting to make a decision between T.J. Hockenson and Jonah Williams, with Albert Breer of SI.com noting Hockenson was the Jags’ likely pick had the Giants gone with Allen as many expected. After the Jags’ Allen pivot, the Lions took Hockenson at No. 8.
The Giants have possessed three top-six picks since 2004, the first of those leading to Eli Manning and the second producing Saquon Barkley. Gettleman did not indicate last year he had any kind of debate between choosing Barkley or Sam Darnold. A year later, the Giants GM said his team might not have another near-future chance to grab a top quarterback prospect without sacrificing plenty in a trade, helping lead the Giants to Jones this year.
“There are no guarantees. So the bottom line is, if you believe this kid can get you to the promised land, why wait?” Gettleman said, via Breer. “You have to have confidence in what you’re doing. You’re drafting players. The team will be better. Now, what happens next year? What if you don’t take him this year, and next year you’re picking 22? You’re going to have to move heaven and earth. This is the closest we’re going to get. It made the most sense.”
The Giants did not leave Manning in the dark about the Jones decision. He called the Giants’ 16th-year quarterback while on the clock at No. 6. Gettleman said Manning could potentially be Big Blue’s starter for multiple additional seasons.
“I was on the phone with Eli. I told him, ‘You’re our quarterback, let’s go,'” Gettleman said, via Breer. “And by the way, we’re drafting the Jones kid, and your job is to be the best quarterback you can be and help us win. It’s his responsibility to crawl up your fanny and learn.”
New York attempted to trade up to land Denver’s pick at No. 10, but the Broncos went with the Steelers’ proposal instead, King reports. It’s possible the Giants wanted to trade up to land Rashan Gary or Brian Burns, whom the Packers and Panthers respectively selected. The Giants selected defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence at No. 17.
I’m willing to bet an American dollar that, barring some weird trade, the Giants first pick will not be at 22 next year…
It’ll be another top ten because Gettleman is incompetent.
What song is your screen name from please? It’s driving me crazy!
T. Rex, “Bang A Gong”
Giants are an awful team. They have no defense, and no pass rush. They will be picking in in the top 5 again. And possibly face the same situation as Arizona did this year. Should have taken Allen, Sweat and traded for Rosen. Or Jones would have been there later on. Gettleman doesn’t have a clue or a plan. It’s becoming harder and harder to be a fan of his team. They have become a joke and the laughingstock of the league.
It’s easy to say that when you have nothing at stake, like your job over the decision. Say Allen is a bust in the NFL. Sweat’s heart issue makes him incapable of playing an NFL career. And Rosen just is nothing more than a QB with possibilities that never pan out. What cost to you will there ever be? None. You wont even come back here and take credit for your failed gamble. Cause you’re anonymous
Of course, but I think taking those guys would be much less of a risk than taking who he did.
“It’s his responsibility to crawl up your fanny and learn.”
Gross, dude. There’s turds up there.
Exactly! Gross imagery…..
Even Sarah Sanders couldn’t spin this move into reality. ‘We picked a 3rd round QB because everyone else wanted him’. Yeah, OK dude, how you still have a job is insane.
What’s insane is your deluded belief that Sarah Sanders job is to spin stories. It sounds like spin because the democrat owned propaganda companies you call CNN and the Washington post, and ABC, and all the other nonsense companies that sell option as fact. Grow up, join the real world, and leave the kids we call democrats in the past, where they belong.
“What if we pick 22 next year. You’ll have to move heaven and earth”. The Chiefs moved from up from 27 to get Mahomes. A competent GM can pull it off. A guy who has no clue what he is doing complains about it. Like the Giants will even be above .500 next year because thats who picks at 22.
“Crawl up your fanny” is a phrase that should only be used in retirement homes, I’m interested to see who the giants take with the first overall pick next year
They’ll pull an Arizona and pick a QB, then they’ll trade Jones for the first pick in the third round before they even know.
They’re one Barkley injury away from having the worst offense in the NFC.
Let it go annoying whining ass Media and fans. What’s done is done!
Aw, sorry about that, Dave…
Agreed Coach…..all these so called “fans” can do is bemoan not taking Allen with #6 and spending it on Jones…If he’s a bust they were right, if he eventually takes over and has a better team around him and enjoys success they will probably say the Giants are winning in spite of him…..with some “fans” you just can’t win which is why you just have to ignore them and move on.
Or they could’ve traded down to somewhere between 6 and 15… I have no issue with taking Jones, I think he’s got upside. The issue is the poor draft management, because it’s really unlikely any other team had close to that high of an interest in him to take him top 10.
Easy to say after the fact. Not so easy when you’re sitting at 6 and getting word the Redskins or Bengals are trying to move up and down or Denver is licking its chops at 10. Its all hindsight now anyways
Why are you here? Lol
I won’t force a draft pick he said
I won’t draft for need he said
LMAO
I didn’t draft Odell to trade him. Here’s a recommendation to all of you. When Gettlemen tells you its gonna be sunny tomorrow… get yourself an umbrella. Just in case he’s saying that cause he wants to see you get wet.
What’s going to be amazing is if he is the Giants QB for the next 15 years and leads them to the Super Bowl at least once lol
And I’m a Raiders fan who’s team also made a “bad pick”…you just never know what someone sees in a player, we are all just basing things off mock drafts and what we see on tv every once in a while in a college game
That’s not the point, he could have the vision no other team had and that’s great, but it’s all about bang for the buck. Grabbing a guy at 6 you could’ve had at 17 isn’t so bad in rounds 3-7, but it is bad in this situation. The Gints can’t afford to reach on him and have him sit several seasons when they need help like yesterday. And even if he has a decent career he’ll live up to a 1st rounder, but not exactly a 6th overall, again draft equity…
Basically, they could’ve moved a second round pick for Rosen, who is a higher ceiling QB than the one they drafted, and still be able to draft their edge rusher with their top pick. But of course that would make too much sense.
Gettleman and the rest of the staff obviously didn’t agree with you assessment that Rosen has a “higher ceiling” and they get paid and are empowered to make these decisions not the fans.
Trust that they may know a thing or two more than us!
And that’s why you’re a GM in the NFL and the rest of us aren’t.
They will pick in the top 5 and a major market like NY will again be of no use to the NFL IN 2019. What a joke Gutterman is. Just clueless.
“Now, what happens next year?”
The Giants replace you with a competent GM, Dave.
North Carolina quarterbacks do ok. No one cried about Trubisky going early and I’ll bet teams wished they picked Russell Wilson. Hard to gauge ACC qbs.
I thought you were way off, but how about Lamar Jackson, DeShaun Watson, Mitchell Trubisky, Philip Rivers, And Russell Wilson from last year’s playoff teams. That’s if you don’t count Wilson as Big Ten. Pretty good.