BBV mailbag: Kyler Murray, a Beckham trade idea, more

It’s Saturday, which means it’s time to open the Big Blue View Mailbag and see what questions New York Giants fans have as we look ahead to the 2019 season.

Ed says: Nobody knows for sure if the Giants are taking Dwayne Haskins with their first pick. Nobody knows if he will even be available if the Giants stay at No. 6. We don’t know what they think of Kyler Murray, either, but I have a hard time seeing Giants GM Dave Gettleman, a traditionalist who favors size, falling for Murray.

The majority of mock drafters seem convinced the Giants are taking a quarterback with their first pick. I am a loooooooooong way from coming to that conclusion.

Ed says: One word — No!

Ed says: Anthony, I don’t believe that what happens on the offensive line has anything to do with the future of Rhett Ellison on the Giants. I think it simply has to do with the Giants needing to decide whether or not Ellison is worth a $5.75 million cap hit un 2019, and whether or not they can replicate what Ellison does with a cheaper option like Scott Simonson or someone else.

Ed says: Honestly, that is hard to answer when we haven’t seen how the offseason will unfold. The Giants have soooo many difficult, critical decisions to make this offseason. Right now, I couldn’t tell you what they will look like when the 2019 season opens.

That said, I think Dave Gettleman and Pat Shurmur are both solid, capable people. I like their approach, and I like many of the things they did in 2018. I think this is a critical offseason and 2019 a critical year. It’s often said that players often make their biggest improvements from Year 1 to Year 2 of their careers. Can that be applied to front offices and coaching staffs, too?

I really don’t know, but I think the offseason will tell us a lot about the eventual success or failure of the Gettleman-Shurmur duo.

I would like to see improvement in 2019. I would like to see the team in real playoff contention. I would like to have a clear idea of how they will proceed long-term at quarterback.

CTscan asks: If the lions were willing to trade Matthew Stafford as has been reported, would you be interested? How much would you give up for him?

Ed says: If it’s me as Giants’ GM? I give up precisely nothing. I have no interest in Stafford. I’m not paying a king’s ransom for a guy who has been in the league for 10 years, not when the Giants have so many needs in other places.

Tommy Donlan asks: With the #6 pick in the 2019 NFL draft the New York Giants select...I realize there is much to be worked out with FA, contracts of Eli, Vernon, Jenkins, etc., but if you had your choice between Bosa, Q. Williams, Josh Allen, Greedy Williams, or Deionte Thompson (Giants need positions on D), which player do you think would have the biggest impact?

Ed says: I’m not going to evaluate one guy over another at this point. What I will say is pass rush before pass coverage. So, given my choice of defensive players I’m taking the best front seven player who can impact the pass rush.

Eric Chavis asks: There is talk that with 9 (potentially 11) picks in this draft, the Giants have volume to try and maneuver the draft in order get their QB of the future. I am just wondering how realistic that may be considering most of the picks are day 3 picks?

Ed says: Eric, thanks for the question. The Giants can do one of two things. First, they can sit tight, make all their picks and try to accumulate as many players as they can to supplement a thin roster. They could also use those picks to move around the board and target players, quarterback or otherwise. As GM of the Carolina Panthers, Gettleman was never afraid to move around the draft board if he had a conviction about a player. With picks to maneuver with, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him do so this year. I don’t, though, think we will see the Giants move up from No. 6. That’s a steep price.

Brett Peeling asks: Why do you think there is so much noise about Eli’s age and consequent diminished ability, but nothing similar for Roethlisberger or Rivers? Is it a function of being under the microscope in NY, or is Eli’s play at that much lower than the others? Is the jury in, and Eli is the worst of the three?

Ed says: There will forever be comparisons between Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers. Over the years I have written some of them myself.

I don’t believe right now you can judge Manning the worst of the three. He’s perhaps not playing as well as the other two at this point, and most would tell you right now Rivers is playing the best of the three. How they would rank has probably changed a number of times during their careers.

I really don’t think you can rank them properly until they are all finished playing and you have their entire bodies of work to judge. No matter what, I think the Giants and their fans have to be happy with getting two Super Bowl titles out of Manning.