Kyle Lauletta is New York Giants shiny new toy at QB
By Curt Macysyn
The New York Giants are like most other NFL teams when it comes to the draft.
Sorry folks, but your narrative that Big Blue is somehow better than the average NFL team doesn’t hold water. Even with new general manager Dave Gettleman at the helm, the team still has bouts of unpredictability.
Let’s rewind for a second.
In the past, when the New York Giants have made predictable draft moves, here are some players they’ve selected: Landon Collins, Dalvin Tomlinson and Sterling Shepard. I define predictable as when team need meets player value.
Therefore, unpredictable becomes when team need and/or player value doesn’t equate to the draft pick. For example, when the G-Men drafted Ereck Flowers, there was a need for offensive line help. The problem was/is that Flowers should not have been drafted at No. 9. In other words, there was a value deficit drafting Flowers that early.
Just so you don’t think I’m avoiding the discussion about running back Saquon Barkley. I’m not. But I am going to say that time will tell if Barkley was a value pick at No. 2. Right now, I will hone in on fourth round selection Kyle Lauletta of Richmond.
Do New York Giants need another quarterback?
This is an interesting question, and one that will take time to answer. Right or wrong, the coaching staff has gone all-in with Eli Manning at QB. Once again, this season will determine if that was the right decision. But let’s not criticize the powers that be for at least making a decision.
Full disclosure – I was a vocal proponent of drafting a franchise quarterback at No. 2. If it came down to Barkley and Josh Allen (Wyoming) or Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma), I may have drafted Allen. Mayfield was a non-starter in my book because of fit and personality. With Sam Darnold (USC) on the board, I definitely grab him at No. 2.
But we digress.
The New York Giants decided to get an instant infusion of offense with Barkley. And the team eschewed the franchise quarterback in the process. Understanding that the team had multiple weaknesses entering the draft, why move up to draft a quarterback in the fourth round though?
Time will also tell if drafting Lauletta was a value pick. With Davis Webb and Manning in the fold, it certainly wasn’t a demonstrated need. Utilizing that model as a testing method, drafting Lauletta falls into the “unpredictable” category.
We’ve seen act this before in Giantsland under former general manager Jerry Reese. Let’s see, there was Rhett Bomar, Andre Woodson, Ryan Nassib and Davis Webb. The act being drafting Manning’s successor, and/or trying to spin straw into gold.
The prime example of this was Nassib. The Syracuse product was considered by some to be a possible heir apparent to Manning and a value pick.
He was neither.
New York Giants
With Manning as starter and Webb in development, 2018 wasn’t the year where this was a need selection. Now, having said that, many folks think Lauletta was a value pick. Actually many think he was more than that.
I’ll take my time to make that judgement.
New York Giants ‘Steal’ of the Draft
It is a rite of passage every spring, New York Giants beat writers talking about the next great draft steal. There’s usually at least one great player every draft.
Remember Damontre Moore? Yeah, first round talent…who was a bust even as a third-round selection.
How about Owa Odighizuwa? He was built like Adonis. Adrien Robinson was the “JPP of tight ends”. Heck, the New York Giants wouldn’t have needed Saquon Barkley if Paul Perkins or Andre Williams were half as good as advertised.
Which bring us back to quarterback Kyle Lauletta. Per NJ.com:
"“General manager Dave Gettleman and the Giants received high marks for the haul of Barkley, offensive guard Will Hernandez, linebacker Lorenzo Carter, and defensive linemen B.J. Hill and R.J. McIntosh over the weekend, but this could go down as an all-time great draft if those picks pan out and Lauletta proves worthy of succeeding Eli Manning, as Pro Football Focus suggests he could.”"
If you write about this game long enough, you’ve heard it before. Keep in mind that 107 players got snapped up before Lauletta, and that means something. Although I am not a fan of using a draft pick on someone who will not play this season, it’s more than that. In the process, Davis Webb appears to be getting second class citizen treatment.
Why? Because he’s a Jerry Reese draft pick?
I guess that dynamic is part of human nature, as well as this ego-driven business called pro football. But if you look at the measurables, Webb has it all over Lauletta. Now, if I have a developmental guy, which both players are, I start with the stronger arm.
Game, set, match – Webb.
Initially I wasn’t excited about the Lauletta selection. As things have transpired, I’ve become even less excited about it. That makes me an outlier in Giants Nation. It won’t be the first time, nor the last.
I just hope this coaching staff creates a level playing field for Webb and Lauletta to compete. You can’t throw the baby out with the bath water because your predecessor drafted someone. In terms of culture, you’ve held onto Eli Apple for heaven’s sake. Webb seems to be a complete teammate.
The new administration took over a franchise in ruins. Anyone, by comparison, was going to look great. Therefore, the elevation of the franchise has been written about quite frequently.
In my eyes, the honeymoon is over, it’s back to the basics of coaching football players.