Before it became trendy to bash the New York Giants for taking Daniel Jones with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the former Duke quarterback had seen his stock rising in the weeks prior.
The buzz around Jones got off the ground at the NFL Combine and was accelerated by an impressive Pro Day in Durham, North Carolina. The Jones hype hit its peak right before the draft, as he drew a comparison to Peyton Manning from a well-respected source.
Let’s take a look at what experts and media were saying that ultimately led to that fateful night on April 25th when the Giants shocked the world and drew the ire of football people everywhere.
Jones’ arm shined at pro day
After a solid combine, Jones took part in his pro day at the end of March and really shined in front of NFL scouts from almost every team in the league.
Jones completed 61-of-64 passes, including his first 44 attempts, but more importantly showed accuracy and arm talent. One former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was impressed.
Other experts also praised Jones’ arm talent.
NFL Network analyst and former scout Daniel Jeremiah stopped short of calling Jones pro day perfect.
Jones also flashed his athleticism by beating his 40-yard dash time from the combine, going from a 4.81 to a 4.67. There was a lot to like about Jones’ pro day and it rightfully sent his stock shooting up.
Jones was a top QB of Mel Kiper Jr.
One of the biggest names in NFL Draft circles, ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr., wasn’t on board with the Daniel Jones bashing and still isn’t. In fact, he offered high praise of Jones pre-draft.
Here’s what Kiper Jr. had to say about Jones on the ESPN show “Get Up,” per John Watson of 247Sports.com.
(Todd) McShay will make you think this guy is a future Hall of Famer for me, but he’s a good quarterback, is Daniel Jones from Duke. He’s not a career backup in the NFL, he’s going to be a good, solid starting quarterback, it’s not just the David Cutcliffe factor, he threw the ball accurately under duress, his arm is good enough and it will get stronger, he’s an athlete, ran for 186 yards in a game against North Carolina, he’s got a basketball background, he’s 6-foot-5, he can move and I like that compact release and I think the key is that arm. Once he’s in the league — it happened for Peyton Manning, happened for Drew Brees — that arm gets a little stronger, two or three years down the road.
Despite having the common concern about Jones’ arm, Kiper Jr. believed the young quarterback could get better with some experience at the next level. If we’re buying what Kiper Jr. was selling, the Giants got the best signal-caller in the draft with the sixth pick.
Jones worth the reach?
The Giants have been universally ripped for what is being considered a reach for Jones, but less than a week before the draft, Daniel Jeremiah claimed it made more sense for Big Blue to take Jones at six, not at 17, in a pre-draft conference call.
Jeremiah, who had Jones going to the Giants with the No. 6 pick in his second-to-last mock, explained his reasoning behind the decision and went into how the team’s philosophy was a good fit for the Duke product.
“I just think if you have conviction in a guy and you want a quarterback, there’s no such thing as taking him too early. You take him in the first round, you’re putting your job into his hands anyway, you might as well guarantee you get the one that you want. That’s why quarterback at 6 to me made more sense than 17,” Jeremiah said.
“I think the more conservative, efficient approach offensively, that to me fits with Daniel Jones’ style … I just think stylistically how they want to play, having a long track record of having played there at Duke versus maybe Haskins with the one year, I just think that kind of falls in line more with the Giants.”
Gettleman was convinced Jones was his guy and claims he had the quarterback ranked even with Kentucky’s Josh Allen. Even if that wasn’t the case, the Giants general manager clearly thought Jones was the answer for the franchise. Gettleman wasn’t leaving anything to chance.
Doubts about Jones being available at No. 17
The idea that Jones was a lock to be sitting there at No. 17 overall for the Giants isn’t supported by pre-draft speculation and rumors.
ESPN’s Diana Russini reported that the Washington Redskins were involved in an internal dispute about which quarterback the team would take, either Jones or Ohio State signal-caller, Dwayne Haskins.
Of course, the Redskins were sitting at No. 15 in the first round and ended up with Dwayne Haskins. While it isn’t totally clear which quarterback was the ultimate preference for the team on draft day, Jones being off the board made it easy for Washington.
Regardless, the Redskins were at least one threat to take Jones at No. 15, or sooner if the team decided to trade up. There was certainly smoke to the fire that Jones had to be taken before No. 17 if the Giants truly wanted him.
Gil Brandt’s Peyton Manning comparison
Hall of Fame talent evaluator Gil Brandt had a glowing review of Jones shortly before the draft.
Brandt compared Jones to none other than Peyton Manning during a Sirius XM NFL Radio teleconference, saying the Duke quarterback and Manning were “the same guy,” according to Ryan Dunleavy of NJ Advance Media.
“I. Love. Dan Jones,” Brandt said. “I have to say this carefully: When you watch him and you go back (20) years and watch Peyton Manning, you are watching the same guy. He’s athletic. He doesn’t have a rocket for an arm, but neither did Peyton. Very smart.”
Jones’ comparison didn’t stop at his Peyton-like characteristics. His head coach at Duke, David Cutcliffe, also taught both Manning brothers in college. If Jones was hoping to become a successful NFL quarterback, he had the right mentor to get it done.
Whether you agree or disagree with Brandt’s evaluation, you can’t argue about his football knowledge. A comparison like that coming from Brandt carries a lot of weight.
Various mock drafts praised Jones
While the in thing is crushing Jones and the Giants now, it wasn’t the case in many mock drafts leading up to the 2019 NFL.
One such example came by way of Sports Illustrated, who cited a scout who referred to Daniel Jones as QB2a in the draft and Drew Lock QB2b. And in this mock, Jones went to the Redskins at No. 15 overall.
One scout said the two quarterbacks are 2a and 2b in this draft, and it will just depend on what a team is looking for in their quarterback. Jones was coached at Duke by David Cutcliffe, who is known for his work with both Peyton and Eli Manning in college, and teams will expect to be able to throw more at Jones than your average rookie QB.
Meanwhile, NFL.com’s Charley Casserly also had Jones going to the Redskins at No. 15 overall, proclaiming, “the future is now!”
Excellent field vision, anticipation and accuracy. The future is now in Washington!
And there were several other mock drafts of this nature.
