It turns out the Archie Manning family still runs the NFL draft. The Mannings have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with Duke head coach David Cutcliffe going back to Peyton’s days at Tennessee. And while I admire Coach Cut’s ability to win six or seven games a season at a basketball school, it doesn’t mean he should’ve held the fate of the New York Giants in his hands.
One year after passing on USC quarterback Sam Darnold in favor of Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, the Giants inexplicably selected Duke quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick Thursday. It appears the Giants fell in love with his measurables (6-5, 230) more than his actual production. He barely completed 60 percent of his passes during three seasons as the starter in Durham, N.C. He’s more athletic than Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, but he’s not nearly as accurate. He threw for 52 touchdowns and 29 interceptions in a conference that only has one powerhouse defense.
He averaged 6.4 yards per attempt at Duke, which is a pretty shabby number next to Haskins’ 9.1. Right after ESPN announced the pick, Jones was shown posing at the famed Manning passing camp. The good news is that Jones didn’t sleep in and miss most of the sessions like Johnny Manziel a few years ago. Giants GM Dave Gettleman further embarrassed himself Thursday after telling reporters he’d told Eli he would remain the starter.
“Maybe we’ll be the Green Bay model where Rodgers sat for three years,” Gettleman said.
Surely the man was joking. If Jones sits for even a full season, it will be a terrible thing for Giants fans. Gettleman said he only needed to see Jones play three series at the Senior Bowl to know he was the right man. Maybe we’re starting to see why Gettleman was bounced from Carolina nine days before the season started. He traded one of the league’s most explosive playmakers in Odell Beckham Jr. and chose not to keep safety Landon Collins. He’s been touting the new culture in the Meadowlands, but it’s hard to build a great culture without decent players.
Barkley is the one game-breaking talent on offense, but teams will be able to gang up on him since Eli and his receivers don’t scare anyone. The Giants could’ve landed an elite defensive player like Kentucky defensive end Josh Allen or Houston defensive lineman Ed Oliver with the sixth pick. And it’s likely Jones could’ve been available at No. 17. Redskins owner Dan Snyder preferred Haskins to Jones, and for once, he was right.
All in all, it was a good night for the Cowboys. Jones isn’t close to making a big impact in the NFC East, and it’s likely that Haskins will sit behind Case Keenum in Washington this season. The Giants took enormous Clemson nose tackle Dexter Lawrence with the 17th overall pick they received in the OBJ trade. Lawrence is a big-time run stuffer, but he had 1.5 sacks last season and doesn’t project as a great pass-rusher from the inside.
Maybe Gettleman will get it rolling on Friday and Saturday, but he produced a dud of a first round.