Nearly two decades ago, the football gods decided that Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh deserved stability at quarterback.
How else can you explain the Ravens’ overall luck with quarterbacks? Joe Flacco held the role for over 10 seasons, leading Baltimore to a Super Bowl victory and numerous playoff wins.
Lamar Jackson, meanwhile, has blossomed into one of this generation’s best regular-season quarterbacks — at least, when he’s been healthy.
Unlike other first-year coaches, Harbaugh — now with the New York Giants — has a dynamic, potential franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart.
The key for Dart, who was evaluated for concussions at least four times as a rookie, is staying healthy and out of the blue tent.
With seven draft picks, the Giants are widely expected to address linebacker and the offensive line. Quarterback, though, is another conversation entirely.
Could John Harbaugh and the Giants draft another quarterback?
To be clear, we are not suggesting that the Giants would use a Day 2 pick on Alabama’s Ty Simpson or Miami’s Carson Beck to challenge Dart as the long-term starter.
The question is instead whether the Giants would select a late-round quarterback to develop behind Dart and Jameis Winston.
There is precedent for Harbaugh using a Day 3 pick on a quarterback when he already had an entrenched starter in place. Counting Flacco and Jackson, the Ravens drafted six quarterbacks in Harbaugh’s 18 seasons.
Outside of those two, though, none of the quarterbacks were taken before the sixth round.
We must also note that none of those four received significant playing time while with the Ravens. Tyrod Taylor, a 2011 sixth-round pick, didn’t get his chance until signing with the Bills in 2015.
Taylen Green makes perfect sense for the Giants as a developmental quarterback
Until someone masters cloning, Harbaugh won’t be able to find an exact replica of Jackson, a two-time MVP and arguably the greatest dual-threat quarterback in NFL history.
However, Jackson’s playstyle at least gives us an idea of which quarterbacks Harbaugh and Joe Schoen could target in the draft. If the Giants take a quarterback, it makes sense for them to focus on an athletic prospect who can beat teams with his legs.
Taylen Green lit up the NFL Combine, running a QB-record 4.36 40-yard dash. Green was a four-year starter while playing at Boise State and Arkansas.
NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein ranked Green as a likely 4th or 5th round pick, though he noted Green’s mixed accuracy leads to underthrown passes and interceptions.
Even still, as Zierlein acknowledged, Green’s athleticism alone will likely get him drafted.
“His ability to win with his legs on called runs or pocket breaks pushes his value beyond his passing profile,” Zierlein wrote.
If that doesn’t sound like Harbaugh’s type of quarterback, especially after his success with Jackson, then we don’t know what does.