The New York Giants selected quarterback Davis Webb in the 2017 NFL Draft. Eli Manning called Webb directly to congratulate him on being drafted.
At some point in the near future, the Eli Manning era will come to an end and the New York Giants will move on to a new quarterback. Manning turned 36 years of age in January, which implies that he’s close to the end of a glorious career.
The Giants prepared for that possibility at the 2017 NFL Draft by selecting former California Golden Bears quarterback Davis Webb at No. 87 overall.
The decision to draft a quarterback in the third round was one that left some upset, but few perplexed. The question of the hour, of course, was how Manning would react to the organization’s decision to draft a player at his position.
According to Steve Serby of The New York Post, Manning called Webb directly and welcomed him to the Giants organization.
"“I got to speak with Eli this morning,” an excited Davis told his father.“He was pretty happy that he had taken the time out from his schedule to say, ‘Hey man, welcome to the team and look forward to getting to meet you,’ ” Matt Webb said."
This is a tough situation for Manning to find himself in, but he’s handling it with class, grace, and dignity.
When Joe Montana got older and Steve Young was ready to take over, the San Francisco 49ers committed to the future. When Brett Favre got older and Aaron Rodgers was ready to take over, the Green Bay Packers did the same.
Hitting closer to home, when the Indianapolis Colts spent a year without an injured Peyton Manning, they made the difficult decision to move on and draft Andrew Luck.
San Francisco and Green Bay won Super Bowls with Montana and Favre, respectively, but they won again with Young and Rodgers. Indianapolis hasn’t yet won a Super Bowl, but Luck has become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
There’s no possible way to guarantee that Webb will play at the same level as Young, Rodgers, or Luck, but New York has reached a similar crossroads with their two-time Super Bowl champion.
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Thankfully, Eli Manning is accepting his own mortality and embracing his new role as a mentor for Davis Webb and the New York Giants.