The New York Giants shocked the football world after drafting Duke quarterback Daniel Jones with the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Fans of the team watched in confusion as their team is desperate for pass rushing help after ranking nearly last in the league in sacks at No. 30 who wasn’t the best on the board according to most analysts.
Giants GM Dave Gettleman reportedly fell in love with Jones after watching his MVP performance at the Senior Bowl.
“It’s really important that you see quarterbacks play,” Gettleman told reporters. “Watching them on tape is one thing, seeing them in the environment is definitely very important.”
If Gettleman only looked at Jones’ three series’ at the Senior Bowl as a reference for drafting the Duke alum, he did not see the overall picture.
In his final game as a Blue Devil, he quarterbacked the team to a 59-7 loss against Wake Forest going 17-36 for 145 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Among college quarterbacks last season, Jones ranked at an incredibly underwhelming 91st in yards per pass attempt.
The rather unimpressive statistics didn’t sway Gettleman as his infatuation with Jones’ Bowl appearance seemed to be the only underlying factor and reason.
“Frankly, when he walked out there, I saw a professional quarterback,” Gettleman told reporters about Jones. “After the three series that I watched, I saw a professional quarterback so that’s when I was in full bloom love.”
Jones only played against two ranked teams in Northwestern and Clemson going 40 of 65 for 350 yards and three touchdowns.
Against a 1-11 Baylor team in 2017, Jones finished with a 19.9 quarterback rating only throwing an interception, no touchdowns.
The quarterback reportedly has connections to the Manning family through his coach David Cutcliffe, who has hosted minicamps with Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Jones has attended the Manning Passing Academy twice.
