Sam Darnold already knows what a college redshirt feels like. And if he has to do it NFL-style, who better than two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning? The New York Giants hold the No. 2 overall draft pick, and could make finding Manning's eventual successor an early priority in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The former USC quarterback and top draft prospect told the New York Post he's already gotten a chance to pick the brain of the Manning family.
"I was at the Manning Passing Academy, it was a great opportunity for me to get better, and I learned a lot from Eli," Darnold said. "He's a great guy, great personality, him and Peyton both."
Darnold, UCLA's Josh Rosen, Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield, and Wyoming's Josh Allen are among the top quarterback prospects in the draft, but if the Giants are looking for a first-round quarterback, they might not get their choice of the field. The Cleveland Browns, as quarterback-needy as ever, hold the No. 1 pick and the No. 4 pick as well. Darnold said he'd welcome working with Manning again if the Giants take him.
"It would be amazing. If I do get drafted by New York and he was there, it'd be an amazing opportunity to get better," he said.
Roughly three months from the draft, the quarterback class is a long way from sorting itself out. But a Manning-Darnold pairing in New York would, at least, have a familiar ring for the rookie.
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