Mock Draft roundup, 1/19: Quarterback for Giants unanimous, but which one?

On Thursday, ESPN’s Mel Kiper gave the New York Giants Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins in his first 2019 NFL mock draft. A look at a smattering of other recently-updated mock drafts shows that quarterback is the overwhelming expectation for the Giants. In our list below, every choice was a quarterback.

Draft Countdown — Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State

Even though Saquon Barkley more than lived up to the hype as a rookie it’s still valid to question whether the Giants should’ve taken one of those highly-regarded quarterbacks instead. Especially since Eli Manning continues to regress and is now 38-years-old with no clear plan of succession in place. Needless to say finding a signal caller of the not-too-distant future is of the utmost priority for the G-Men.

In a matter of a few months Haskins went from making his first college start for the Buckeyes to being projected as a Top 10 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Talk about a meteoric rise! Haskins, a redshirt sophomore, is understandably raw as a one-year starter, although that didn’t hinder Mitchell Trubisky on Draft Day. Otherwise Haskins checks a lot of boxes, including size, a strong arm with a quick, efficient delivery, good accuracy and decision making as well as above-average athleticism.

Pro Football Focus — Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma

OK, here’s where the draft gets interesting. The QB-needy teams are upon us, and there’s a good chance we see movement at the top of the draft come April. The Giants go with Murray who is looking to buck all trends about what an NFL QB looks like from a size perspective. He posted the top passing and rushing grade among quarterbacks in the FBS last season, and the Giants will look to his dynamic playmaking ability to turn around their quarterback position.

Bleacher Report (Miller) — Haskins

The future of the New York Giants is not Eli Manning; the sooner the front office realizes that, the better. With the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NFL draft, the Dave Gettleman-led scouting staff would be wise to use the early selection on a quarterback after choosing to bypass Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and others in the 2018 draft.

Dwayne Haskins was just a one-year starter at Ohio State, but he’s been a fantastic quarterback in his starts. Haskins also showed improvement down the stretch with impressive performances against Michigan, Northwestern and Washington to end his season.

With a big arm, ideal pocket presence and the football IQ to quickly continue his development, Haskins is the top quarterback on my board.

CBSSports.com (Wilson) —Murray

General manger Dave Gettleman sure sounds like he’s content to bring Eli Manning back for another season but imagine the Giants offense with Murray under center, Saquon Barkley in the backfield, and Odell Beckham and Evan Engram running routes. Woo boy.

USA Today — Murray

There's going to be a wide spectrum of evaluations for the diminutive Sooners star, and his height (5-9? 5-10?) will likely be the sticking point. But simply put, if you could conceivably pair a quasi-facsimile of Russell Wilson with Saquon Barkley, is there much more to consider? Murray is a dual threat with plenty of arm (4,361 yards and 42 TDs passing in 2018) and excellent wheels (1,001 yards and 12 TDs rushing). And given how well smallish Baker Mayfield transitioned from Norman to Cleveland, more reason to believe Murray could be up for the challenge, too.

Sporting News (Iyer) — Haskins

Haskins made a great decision to come out early, because he should be the first QB off the board to succeed Eli Manning. Haskins cemented his stock late in the Buckeyes' season, when he had some jaw-dropping games with his big arm and downfield accuracy. He has ideal size as a strong pocket passer (6-3, 220 pounds) with the right dose of athleticism. That checks the right boxes for Dave Gettleman.

Walter Football (Campbell) — Haskins

The Giants grab their replacement for Eli Manning.

Haskins (6-3, 220) flashed the ability to be a NFL quarterback, but he struggles with consistency. In 2018, he completed 70 percent of his passes for 4,831 yards with 50 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He struggled as a pocket passer against Penn State, but dominated Michigan’s tough defense.

Haskins has a strong arm with the potential to be a pocket passer who hurts defenses. He has a lot of talent, but there were stretches during 2018 when everything was just a little bit off with him. His decision-making was not consistent, and he made some bad plays in terms of ball security. Haskins’ field vision needs to improve, and he has to get faster at working through his progressions. His footwork also needs improvement, and his ball placement can be off at times. At other times during 2018, however, he flashed the ability to make special throws with his arm strength and placement. Haskins should have returned to Ohio State for 2019 to improve his overall play before going to the NFL, but he decided to declare for the 2019 NFL Draft. Haskins was only a first-year starter in 2018 and has upside to grow.

Walter Football (Walt) — Haskins

It’s extremely unlikely that the Giants will land the top quarterback prospect in the class at No. 6 overall. Some team will trade up for him. Perhaps New York will do it, as it’s more feasible to move up now in the wake of its loss to Dallas, which Giant fans should thank Jason Garrett for. Had the Cowboys sat their starters, the Giants would have to trade more assets to move up for a signal-caller. It just goes to show how inept Garrett is.

At any rate, Giants ownership pushed for a quarterback prior to the 2018 NFL Draft, but general manager David Gettleman opted for Saquon Barkley instead. This looks to be the correct choice, but after what has transpired this year, I can’t imagine Gettleman going against ownership’s wishes again.

Dwayne Haskins has a tremendous skill set, but is not a finished product at the moment. However, with Justin Herbert going back to school, he’s far and away the top quarterback prospect in this class.

SB Nation (Kadar) — Haskins

At 38, it’s time for Eli Manning to call it a career, or at least be the bridge quarterback for his successor in 2019. The inclusion of Murray actually helps the Giants. It could lighten quarterback trade market, leaving the Giants to pick between Haskins and Murray.