The Giants talked all offseason about their commitment to Eli Manning. So it's a little odd that they proceeded to draft a quarterback at No. 6 overall. A smokescreen? Or simply an indication that they believe they can keep the good times going by transitioning seamlessly from Manning to a guy with a lot of the same qualities.
Jones was developed at Duke by David Cutcliffe, a coach known for his work with Peyton Manning at Tennessee ...and Eli at Mississippi. He's a smart guy (37 on the Wonderlic) who was originally headed to Princeton before walking on at Duke. At the combine he measured 6-foot-5 and 221 pounds...same as Eli.
Athletically, it's not a perfect comparison. Whereas Eli didn't run at all in college, Jones was a lot more mobile. In three seasons starting for Duke he ran for 1,323 yards and 17 TDs. He's no Kyler Murray, but he won't be glued to the pocket (like the other first-rounder, Dwayne Haskins, who makes Manning look mobile).
The biggest concern with Jones is that in college he tended to settle for short, safe reads (and even then he completed under 60 percent of his passes). Some of that had to do with the talent around him, or lack thereof. But it's not a profile that's yielded great NFL success.
In the last 20 years, there have been 56 quarterbacks drafted in the first round. The guys who averaged a lower yards per attempt in their final year of college than Jones -- well, it's not pretty.
| FIRST-ROUND QUARTERBACKS, FINAL YEAR OF COLLEGE | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Pk | Player | School | Com | Att | Pct | Yds | YPA |
| 2019 | 1 | Kyler Murray | Oklahoma | 260 | 377 | 69.0 | 4361 | 11.57 |
| 2018 | 1 | Baker Mayfield | Oklahoma | 285 | 404 | 70.5 | 4627 | 11.45 |
| 2012 | 2 | Robert Griffin III | Baylor | 291 | 406 | 71.7 | 4293 | 10.57 |
| 2011 | 1 | Cam Newton | Auburn | 185 | 280 | 66.1 | 2854 | 10.19 |
| 2015 | 2 | Marcus Mariota | Oregon | 304 | 445 | 68.3 | 4454 | 10.01 |
| 2005 | 25 | Jason Campbell | Auburn | 188 | 270 | 69.6 | 2700 | 10.00 |
| 2014 | 22 | Johnny Manziel | Texas A&M | 300 | 429 | 69.9 | 4114 | 9.59 |
| 2014 | 3 | Blake Bortles | Central Florida | 259 | 382 | 67.8 | 3581 | 9.37 |
| 2006 | 3 | Vince Young | Texas | 212 | 325 | 65.2 | 3036 | 9.34 |
| 2005 | 1 | Alex Smith | Utah | 214 | 317 | 67.5 | 2952 | 9.31 |
| 2004 | 4 | Philip Rivers | North Carolina State | 348 | 483 | 72.0 | 4491 | 9.30 |
| 2014 | 32 | Teddy Bridgewater | Louisville | 303 | 427 | 71.0 | 3970 | 9.30 |
| 2000 | 18 | Chad Pennington | Marshall | 292 | 433 | 67.4 | 4006 | 9.25 |
| 2010 | 25 | Tim Tebow | Florida | 213 | 314 | 67.8 | 2895 | 9.22 |
| 2007 | 1 | JaMarcus Russell | Louisiana State | 232 | 342 | 67.8 | 3129 | 9.15 |
| 2019 | 15 | Dwayne Haskins | Ohio State | 373 | 533 | 70.0 | 4831 | 9.06 |
| 2004 | 11 | Ben Roethlisberger | Miami (Ohio) | 342 | 495 | 69.1 | 4486 | 9.06 |
| 2002 | 1 | David Carr | Fresno State | 308 | 476 | 64.7 | 4299 | 9.03 |
| 2009 | 1 | Matthew Stafford | Georgia | 235 | 383 | 61.4 | 3459 | 9.03 |
| 2016 | 1 | Jared Goff | California | 341 | 529 | 64.5 | 4719 | 8.92 |
| 2006 | 10 | Matt Leinart | Southern California | 283 | 431 | 65.7 | 3815 | 8.85 |
| 2013 | 16 | EJ Manuel | Florida State | 263 | 387 | 68.0 | 3397 | 8.78 |
| 2009 | 5 | Mark Sanchez | Southern California | 241 | 366 | 65.8 | 3207 | 8.76 |
| 2012 | 1 | Andrew Luck | Stanford | 288 | 404 | 71.3 | 3517 | 8.71 |
| 2003 | 7 | Byron Leftwich | Marshall | 331 | 491 | 67.4 | 4268 | 8.69 |
| 2018 | 3 | Sam Darnold | Southern California | 303 | 480 | 63.1 | 4143 | 8.63 |
| 2017 | 10 | Patrick Mahomes | Texas Tech | 388 | 591 | 65.7 | 5052 | 8.55 |
| 2016 | 26 | Paxton Lynch | Memphis | 296 | 443 | 66.8 | 3776 | 8.52 |
| 2018 | 32 | Lamar Jackson | Louisville | 254 | 430 | 59.1 | 3660 | 8.51 |
| 2017 | 2 | Mitchell Trubisky | North Carolina | 304 | 447 | 68.0 | 3748 | 8.38 |
| 2012 | 22 | Brandon Weeden | Oklahoma State | 408 | 564 | 72.3 | 4727 | 8.38 |
| 2015 | 1 | Jameis Winston | Florida State | 305 | 467 | 65.3 | 3907 | 8.37 |
| 2018 | 10 | Josh Rosen | UCLA | 283 | 452 | 62.6 | 3756 | 8.31 |
| 2008 | 18 | Joe Flacco | Delaware | 331 | 521 | 63.5 | 4263 | 8.18 |
| 2004 | 1 | Eli Manning | Mississippi | 275 | 441 | 62.4 | 3600 | 8.16 |
| 2010 | 1 | Sam Bradford | Oklahoma | 39 | 69 | 56.5 | 562 | 8.14 |
| 2005 | 24 | Aaron Rodgers | California | 209 | 316 | 66.1 | 2566 | 8.12 |
| 2003 | 1 | Carson Palmer | Southern California | 309 | 489 | 63.2 | 3942 | 8.06 |
| 2016 | 2 | Carson Wentz | North Dakota State | 130 | 208 | 62.5 | 1651 | 7.94 |
| 2017 | 12 | Deshaun Watson | Clemson | 388 | 579 | 67.0 | 4593 | 7.93 |
| 2009 | 17 | Josh Freeman | Kansas State | 224 | 382 | 58.6 | 2945 | 7.71 |
| 2001 | 1 | Michael Vick | Virginia Tech | 87 | 161 | 54.0 | 1234 | 7.66 |
| 2002 | 3 | Joey Harrington | Oregon | 186 | 322 | 57.8 | 2415 | 7.50 |
| 2007 | 22 | Brady Quinn | Notre Dame | 289 | 467 | 61.9 | 3426 | 7.34 |
| 2004 | 22 | J.P. Losman | Tulane | 251 | 422 | 59.5 | 3077 | 7.29 |
| 2012 | 8 | Ryan Tannehill | Texas A&M | 327 | 531 | 61.6 | 3744 | 7.05 |
| 2008 | 3 | Matt Ryan | Boston College | 388 | 654 | 59.3 | 4507 | 6.89 |
| 2011 | 12 | Christian Ponder | Florida State | 184 | 299 | 61.5 | 2044 | 6.84 |
| 2011 | 8 | Jake Locker | Washington | 184 | 332 | 55.4 | 2265 | 6.82 |
| 2019 | 6 | Daniel Jones | Duke | 237 | 392 | 60.5 | 2674 | 6.82 |
| 2003 | 22 | Rex Grossman | Florida | 287 | 503 | 57.1 | 3402 | 6.76 |
| 2018 | 7 | Josh Allen | Wyoming | 152 | 270 | 56.3 | 1812 | 6.71 |
| 2011 | 10 | Blaine Gabbert | Missouri | 301 | 475 | 63.4 | 3186 | 6.71 |
| 2003 | 19 | Kyle Boller | California | 225 | 421 | 53.4 | 2815 | 6.69 |
| 2006 | 11 | Jay Cutler | Vanderbilt | 273 | 462 | 59.1 | 3073 | 6.65 |
| 2002 | 32 | Patrick Ramsey | Tulane | 256 | 449 | 57.0 | 2935 | 6.54 |
Jay Cutler (also playing for a lesser college team) had a credible professional career. Josh Allen might turn out great for Buffalo. But the other quarterbacks down in that area? They went bust quickly, and none of them were selected as early as Jones.
Fans of the pick, and Giants GM Dave Gettleman presumably, can point to Matt Ryan, who wasn't much better in this regard and went on to an excellent pro career. But the vast majority of passers in this area, from Harrington to Quinn to Losman on down, would not be selected again with first-round picks. And the Giants took Jones at No. 6.
This is the pick that will determine Gettleman, and the Giants', future over the next 5-10 years. They'll be bucking some pretty unfavorable odds if it works out.
--Andy Richardson