The New York Giants and general manager Dave Gettleman have been drug through the mud for their decision to take Duke quarterback Daniel Jones at No. 6 overall, but as it turns out, there may have been a very valid reason for it.
Following the three-day draft extravaganza, Gettleman & Co. met with the media and let the cat out of the bag: two other teams were targeting Jones and were intend on maneuvering to grab him had he slipped by Big Blue at No. 6.
“I know for a fact there are two teams that would’ve taken him,” Gettleman said. “I know that for a fact.”
So, which two teams did the Giants fend off? Ralph Vacchiano of SNY reports that both the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos had Jones at the top of their big board.
There had also been speculation on Day 1 of the draft that the Redskins were sniffing around for potential trade partners to move up ahead of the Giants — and not for Dwayne Haskins, who they ultimately settled on, but for Jones.
Ultimately, the Giants did what they had to do in order to secure their quarterback of the future, even if it meant pass on elite edge rushers, which Gettleman admits was not an easy thing to do.
“It wasn’t easy for me to pass on Josh Allen,” Gettleman said. “You know my background. That was very, very difficult. But I think that much of Daniel Jones and his future as a NFL quarterback.”
While the Giants and Gettleman will continue to face criticism for their decision to take Jones at No. 6, it does appear that they outsmarted the armchair GMs and so-called experts who undervalued Jones in comparison to what the NFL scouts — those who actually get paid to make these decisions — believed.
