It's been over two days since the New York Giants grabbed Duke quarterback Daniel Jones sixth overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, and if Saturday's press conference was any indication, general manager Dave Gettleman still has some 'splaining to do.
Jones' pick was, fairly or unfairly, ridiculed in real time by national and local sports media members as a reach. Primed to be the successor to Eli Manning, the Duke quarterback is of the Eli mold -- close with Duke coach David Cutcliffe, associated with the Mannings, tall with a similar demeanor -- but was not considered by many scouts and draft experts to be the second-best QB in the draft or one at least worthy of the sixth overall pick.
A common complaint was that Jones would have been available when New York was slated to pick again at No. 17 and that the sixth pick could have been used on a pass rusher, like Kentucky edge rusher and New Jersey native Josh Allen, who went to the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 7.
But Gettleman insisted that letting Jones slip to No. 17 would have been too big a risk to take.
"I know for a fact there were two teams who would have taken (Jones) before 17," Gettleman told reporters, per Newsday. "It wasn't easy for me to pass up Josh Allen. It was very, very difficult. But I think that much of Daniel Jones and his future as an NFL QB."
After New York took Jones, the next two quarterbacks taken were Dwayne Haskins by the Washington Redskins at No. 15 and Drew Lock by the Denver Broncos at No. 42. According to SNY's Ralph Vacchiano, the 'Skins and Broncos were the two teams to which Gettleman was referring.
If Gettleman was telling the truth, then the Giants' selection of Jones, though shocking in the moment, was necessary. If New York's evaluation of Jones was that he was the best quarterback remaining in the draft and more importantly the right one for the franchise, then it would have been malpractice in-house to pass on him.
If you love him, don't let him go.
Another explanation like this from Gettleman won't be enough to pacify an angry fan base that has seen in less than two years the general manager trade away Damon Harrison and Odell Beckham, let Landon Collins walk to Washington and draft a divisive QB earlier than expected, all the while obfuscating his true intentions in free-wheeling sit-downs with the press. But it offers context and perspective to a conversation that, at least on Gotham's airwaves, is sorely lacking it.
