Dave Gettleman Combine press conference — complete remarks

Question: (What have you learned about Webb?)

DG: There’s only so much to watch. He hasn’t had a lot of NFL Experience. We liked him down in Carolina in the draft, had him pretty highly rated. It’s kind of like having a Christmas present or a Hanukah present and you get to unwrap it eventually.

Question: (Are RBs worth a top 10 pick?)

DG: The bottom line is, is the guy a football player? This whole myth of devaluing running backs, I find it kind of comical. At the end of the day, if he’s a great player he’s a great player. It doesn’t matter what position it is. But the other thing, sometimes, listening to Pat (Shurmur), sometimes I think it gets lost in the sauce that football is the ultimate team game. You blow a whistle and 11 guys have to go out there, both offense and defense and special teams. Everybody has to understand that every player is important. That’s why when you are looking at the second pick in the draft like we are, the first thing we have to determine is: Is this guy worthy of being the second pick of any draft? Not just this year’s draft, but any draft? And then you make that determination and you move forward. Position? If he’s a great player I don’t care how stacked we are at that position, we’re taking him. It’s all about accumulating talent.

Question: (How do you want to make sure you have a QB beyond Eli?)

DG: Obviously I think about it. It’s a monster puzzle that we’re putting together and there are other things that you have to look at as well. Obviously we know that if you don’t have a Q it’s going to be a long, long season. We know that. We’ll come to the right conclusion. (Impression of this QB class) It’s an interesting class. All shapes and sizes. All flavors. This is like Howard Johnson’s back in the day. It’s a real interesting group. I’m excited about meeting some of these guys here, it’s going to be fun. Obviously we’ll be busy once the Combine is over visiting. You have your 30 private visits so that will be part of the process. It’s a really interesting, eclectic group.

Question: (How important is Combine interview for QBs?)

DG: It’s only 15 minutes. At the end of the day, really and truly, can you really know anybody in 15 minutes? I mean, it’s like speed dating. At the end of the day it’s an introduction.

Question: (How much insurance do you want at QB to pick a guy who you hope won’t play in 2018?)

DG: Nobody wants the one to go down and you’re (lost). At the end of the day you evaluate, you bring in the guys you believe in, you go through camp. When you start camp, the roster shuffling doesn’t stop. Roster-building is a 12-month season. That’s just the way it is. So you have to understand that things happen, players become available, and you have to be willing to pull the trigger.

Question: (How much does Davis Webb on the roster affect the decision to draft a QB?)

DG: Like I said before, we had him highly rated. Pat thinks highly of him. There’s just a small NFL sample size. It’s all part of it.

Question: (Will you rate him against the QBs coming out this year as well?)

DG: That’s a pretty good idea.

Question: (Does the NFL have to adjust to the way OL come into the league?)

DG: That’s a helluva question. At the end of the day if you watch football, obviously the college game a lot of it is really different. If you watch how it’s evolved, it’s changed in style and whatever. But really and truly, if you watch the teams that win in the NFL, you have quarterbacks who are making plays from the pocket and you have offensive lines that are running old-school NFL runs. With little twists, of course. So it’s really imperative that, and everybody has two o-line coaches, it’s imperative that they be great teachers. Some of these kids, there are guys who start for four years and the only time they have their hand in the dirt is if they fall down. They’re in two points the whole time and occasionally you’ll see him in a four-point on the goal line. But your two o-line coaches have got to be great teachers and the other thing you have to do is you have to get them as may reps as possible. There’s a theory that you need 5,000 reps before you are really ready. I don’t know if I subscribe to it, but that’s not just on the field it’s practice as well. It takes time. Think about all the positions on the field – what’s the most awkward? You think it’s natural for a 320-pound kid to back up and do this (pass blocking)? It’s really not natural. They want to come off and we teach them that. It’s become more difficult, but when you evaluate hog mollies you have to be patient and you have to take your time so you look for the things that all the great ones can do. You have to look at all the basics. Does he play with a base? Can he roll his hips? Can he do this, can he do that? You’ll find those guys who are in two-points who can do that.

Question: (Can you see that in the drills here?)

DG: A little bit. It’s helpful. But it’s really with the pads on. You need the pads.

Question: (Are you open for business at No. 2?)

DG: There’s so much stuff going around. Are we open for business? Any decision I make will be in the best interest of the New York Giants. Plain and simple. If someone makes me an offer I can’t refuse, would I move back? It depends upon who’s there. If there is a guy worthy of being the second pick of a draft, and what we’re basically saying if we answer that question in the affirmative is that you think you’re drafting a Hall of Fame player. So you can’t get too cute about the whole thing. Does that make sense?

Question: (Is it a buyer or seller market for the No. 2 pick?)

DG: We’re going to find out.

Question: (Odell’s contract)

DG: Let me say this: I don’t talk about contracts. I don’t talk about negotiations. I believe it’s personal and it’s between the club and the player. I’m not going to speculate. We’ll just take it and see what happens. That’s all.

Question: (How did you evaluate the offensive line of 2017?)

DG: You have to be practical, you have to be realistic. When I watched the offensive line, they had a ton of injuries. The last grouping that finished the season in Washington, what I really liked was that they played tough. They were physical, they got after it, and they did a really nice job. Listen, I said in my opening presser, I’m not going to lie to anybody. Gimme a break. But we’ll do it piece by piece. If the right guy is there, we’ll make a move.

Question: (How do you view Justin Pugh?)

DG: He’s a versatile, smart football player. Really he’s a four-hole guy which is unusual. We’ll still in our evaluation process and we’re going to figure it out.

Question: (Do you come here with a pecking order at No. 2?)

DG: We had our readings in February that we went through the first time. Now we’re gathering information. When we get to the draft in April we’ll add all the new information. And then we do this crazy thing called having discussions. Pat’s involved, obviously, very involved in the draft, and we’ll talk it through. At the end of the day I believe in collaboration. I believe in communication. Everybody in the room is going to say their piece and then it falls on me to make a decision. But I have no preconceived notions. I just don’t.

Question: (Where do you stand on Eli Apple?)

DG: It’s a new day. We had a nice visit. Eli came in and we talked for about 25 minutes to half an hour. Had a good visit. Broke bread so to speak. I told him, ‘It’s clean. Let’s go. Let’s go.’ So that’s where we are.

Question (Expect him to be on the roster this season?)

DG: I expect him to show up on April 9. I hope he shows up April 9, how’s that?

Question: (Did you see the firing in Carolina coming at all?)

DG: You need to check with Mr. Richardson. It happened. Anytime something like that happens, we all have to understand that we’re complicit. I have to step back and be honest and I have a great wife who will help me do that – Joanne doesn’t pull any punches. When there’s a difference of opinion between people – you guys have all had arguments – if you have a difference of opinion somewhere in the middle is where it should be. It’s his franchise, he made a decision, and here I am.

Question: (Thoughts on Janoris Jenkins and his contract?)

DG: We can all be more consistent. All of us in our daily lives. Janoris is a very good football player. Every time you guys write an article, are you writing a Pulitzer Prize-winner? No. Every decision I make, is it the right one? No. But at the end of the day we try to get better. Janoris is a very talented, gifted player. I got to know him a little bit and I’m excited that he’s a New York Football Giant.