The NY Giants passed on Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL Draft, and now must hope that Daniel Jones can take the same leap Allen did in year three of his career.
Quarterback position has been a center for NFL Draft controversy for the NY Giants – after GM Dave Gettleman shocked the football world two consecutive years while addressing it. First, passing on highly regarded prospects to select a running back second overall, and then surprisingly drafting Duke’s Daniel Jones at sixth overall the following year.
It was a roller coaster ride to get here, but now the NY Giants are entrenched at a crossroads.
Above all other things, Gettleman’s tenure hinges on whether Jones is the guy to lead the Giants into the future, and back to competing for Super Bowls.
Currently, the former Duke Blue Devil hasn’t done enough to convince the team in either direction – but a year three Josh Allen-esque leap can do the trick.
Gettleman’s decision to pass on drafting a quarterback in favor of Saquon Barkley has been repeatedly torn to shreds. Although players like Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen have left a lot to be desired, others including Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson have forced the moans and groans of the ‘should’ve drafted a quarterback’ crowd to grow louder.
Ironically, Allen’s first two years were similar to Jones’ – some flashy plays to go along with some ugly turnovers, leading to a front office unsure of what they have. Allen’s Bills did more winning, but they also had a much more talented team around him.
So how did Allen go from a middling quarterback prospect trying to find his groove to a MVP candidate about to play in the AFC Championship Game? His front office and coaches gave him all the tools to do so.
So many times we’ve seen promising quarterback prospects enter terrible situations and suffer setbacks – just look at two prospects who were linked to the Giants in Darnold and former Washington quarterback, Dwayne Haskins. This off-season, the Giants’ have to ensure that Jones’ third year teeters more towards Allen’s performance than Darnold’s disappointing campaign.
Jones has shown signs of being a capable quarterback in the NFL, so how can the Giants help him take that leap? Here are three ways they can turn their faith in Jones from a question mark, to an exclamation point.