Here’s what the NY Giants meeting with Justin Herbert means

The NY Giants met with top quarterback prospect Justin Herbert two days ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft. Here’s what it means.

Well, we’re officially nearing the end of ‘smokescreen season’ and NY Giants GM, Dave Gettleman, has saved his finest work for last. According to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, the team had a virtual meeting with the former Oregon QB and have ‘spent a lot of time’ researching him.

I think every sane individual knows that Big Blue is, in all likelihood, not going to draft Justin Herbert in the top-ten of the NFL Draft. However, just meeting with him and planting that seed in any other GM’s head at all is worth it.

Current NY Giants QB, Daniel Jones, is tied in lockstep with Gettleman’s future and last year’s most controversial draft pick played admirably during his 2019 rookie season. With 24 touchdowns in 12 games, he exceeded all expectations.

But, let’s just say the Dolphins trade up and grab Tua Tagovoilia like many believe they will. Then, the NY Giants are sitting on the clock and actually have a solid amount of control as most believe there are really only three elite quarterbacks in this draft class.

We saw a similar scenario in the 2004 NFL Draft when the Giants selected Phillip Rivers with no intention of actually having him be their starting quarterback (don’t buy what they say). Although it was a different scenario, maybe Gettleman swings for the fences, selects Herbert and starts a bidding war for his services.

Who knows how much capital a team like the Chargers would give up once they know that Herbert is actually off the board, for real. It’s one thing to worry about another team trading up with the NY Giants to select him, it’s another for Big Blue to actually take him and hold all the cards.

There also could be plenty of other teams that are in ‘full bloom love’ with the quarterback, and maybe the Giants would take him and entertain a much deeper trade back to set the team up for the future. With what we’ve seen teams are willing to pay for quarterbacks they love, it’s worth exploring.

Do I believe Justin Herbert is a good enough prospect to take that gamble on? I do not. But, we don’t know how the NFL executives feel about him, and for what it’s worth, he does have some elite attributes.

Dave Gettleman and the NY Giants are not really in a position to take such a risk, but this team needs draft picks badly as it doesn’t own a selection between picks #36 and #99.

This would be a savvy way to do it, although don’t count on it.