Why versatility is the name of the game for the 2020 NY Giants

NY Giants Quarterback

While Daniel Jones doesn’t have the position versatility that many of the other players that are included on this list do, his versatility at the quarterback position is important to note. The versatility that Jones brings to the quarterback position will undoubtedly be a new concept for NY Giants fans who have watched Eli Manning under center the past 16 years.

Jones is certainly more than capable of surgically dissecting opposing defenses from the pocket, he possesses another element to his game that makes him particularly dangerous. Jones is a threat to tuck the ball and run, a threat that the Giants have not had at the quarterback position in a long time.

Coming out of Duke University, Jones was known as an excellent athlete who could be effective on the ground. The former Blue Devil set a single-game rushing record for a Duke quarterback when he rushed for 186 yards against the rival North Carolina Tar Heels.

Make no mistake, Jones isn’t going to be the rushing threat of Arizona Cardinals quarterback, Kyler Murray, who ran a 40-yard dash time in the 4.3-second range and is a prolific rushing quarterback.  It is also unlikely that Murray will be as effective as a passer as Jones.

Jones ran an official time of 4.67-seconds at his NFL Pro Day, which is a solid time for a quarterback. To put it in perspective, that time is between those of Cam Newton and Aaron Rodgers who have both proven themselves to be effective rushing quarterbacks in the NFL.

Having an effective running quarterback will make opposing defenses have to account for an option that they did not have to with Manning at the helm.

With defenses forced to be cognizant of Jones tucking the ball and taking off, the likelihood that Big Blue has an open receiver or an open hole for their running backs to hit increases dramatically. This alone should help a team who has struggled in years past to get critical third-down conversions.