With one week until the NFL Draft, the New York Giants showed their hand today, well sort of. Dave Gettleman addressed the media today and said the same thing he has been saying for months, “The priority is to select the best players in the draft.”
After a thirty minute media session with reporters today, Gettleman really did not rule out a QB at the 6th pick. At the same time, he wouldn’t commit to anything other then the team has a plan and their draft board is complete. The staff will reconnect after the holiday weekend to make some final tweeks before Thursday’s Draft.
“We have pretty much set the board.” Said Gettleman. “We are tweaking it a little bit here and a little bit there. The scouts went home. I sent them home for the holiday. It gives me a chance to do some work on my own, some additional work. The board is really basically set. I am looking at it and we have more players rated as first, second, third or fourth-round values that I have had in any draft. This is my eighth draft as a GM. In terms of the volume of players on the board, this is the thickest. ”
Reporters and fans alike have been questioning the future of the quarterback position. Eli Manning is not getting any younger but confirmed to be returning to the team as the starting quarterback. This will be his 15th season with the franchise and as he noted” Eli is closer to 40 then 25.”
The Giants understand the transition from Manning to the next quarterback will be a difficult one. Gettleman even address the difficulty of playing in the New York market describing it as a mental load.
“Being a quarterback of a team in this type of market is a load.” he said “It is a mental load. You have to really vet out the background of these guys. Just like being the head coach of this team is a load, being a quarterback is a load, too. It is more than just looking at a guy’s physical talent. It is about his makeup.”
Many athletes have played in the New York market with never living up to the expectation level due to the bright lights of the big city and the constant pressure of media attention. Some might disagree with the statement, but its a true fact.
Manning received a vote of confidence going into last years Draft when the team picked Saquon Barkley with the 2nd pick overall pick over Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen and others in what would be called a very deep draft class.
The reality of the situation is that the Giants do not need to choose a QB at 6 or 17. Eli Manning completed 66% of his passes last season as well as throwing 22 touchdowns and only 11 picks, improvement from his 2017 numbers.
Manning stated earlier in the week that eventually the team will have to turn the page at some point and will be the guy in the locker room to help to make the transition easier. Manning is making $23 million this year which is the final year of his current deal.
