Giants’ 2019 NFL Draft: Giants select Daniel Jones of Duke at No. 6

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After two offseasons of speculation, the New York Giants have chosen their heir apparent for Eli Manning. The Giants Thursday selected quarterback Daniel Jones of Duke with their first pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Jones has long been considered a potential target for the Giants, though until recently few believed the Giants would select him this early in the draft. As has been well-documented, Jones was coached at duke by David Cutcliffe, who was the quarterbacks coach for both eli and Peyton Manning. Jones’ private quarterbacks coach, David Morris, was Eli Manning’s collegiate backup and roommate at Ole Miss. Jones has also attended the Manning Passing Academy a number of times.

Manning, 38, is entering his 16th season with the Giants. GM Dave Gettleman has spoken often of a desire to get a young quarterback “to learn at the feet of Eli” before potentially taking over the job. With the selection of Jones, Gettleman has put that plan into motion.

In his breakdown of Jones, our Mark Schofield called him “yet another polarizing player in this quarterback class, where the outside media and the NFL insiders seem to have differing opinions on how to grade this player.”

As Schofield indicated, the outside media was not kind to Jones in the pre-draft buildup. NFL insiders, though, have rated him much more highly.

Long-time personnel man Gil Brandt had Jones as his ninth-ranked prospect and recently had this to say:

“I love Dan Jones. I’ll tell you why I love him, and I have to say this carefully. When you watch him and when you go back 30 years and you watch Peyton Manning you’re watching the same guy.”

On Sirius XM NFL Radio Thursday night, Brandt added this:

“I’ve got to be careful how I say this. This guy (Jones), when you compare Peyton Manning coming out of Tennessee, the numbers are exactly the same. Now, is he going to work as hard as Peyton Manning? That’s the question.”

NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein exemplifies the opposite view:

“Jones has good football IQ and is relatively mobile, but he appears to be more of a game manager than “franchise” talent. He’s more of a Day 2 draft pick than Day 1.”

Schofield’s summary goes like this:

“An athletic quarterback who works best on quick game concepts, and who can show great handling of pockets at times with his footwork and processing speed on favorable route designs. Jones has the tools and the background to succeed, but his landing spot might be more critical than for other passers in this class. The team that drafts him will need to have a solid developmental plan in place for him.”

Instant reaction

SB Nation’s Bill Connelly panned the pick:

Too low, just right, or too high? Too high by about four rounds. Congrats, Dave Gettelman. You just drafted a more athletic Clayton Thorson with the sixth pick in the draft.

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network said:

The Giants wanted someone who has faced adversity. He was not surrounded by a lot of talent at Duke, he got beat up and he has faced that adversity. He has ideal size and athleticism. He has a lot of toughness inside the pocket and was able to extend plays.

Giants draft picks

The selection of Jones is one of two the Giants have in the first round of the draft. They are schedule to make 12 selections in all.

Round 1 (No. 6) -- Daniel Jones, QB, Duke

Round 1 (No. 17) --

Round 2 (No. 37) --

Round 3 (No. 95) --

Round 4 (No. 108) --

Round 4 (No. 132) --

Round 5 (No. 142) --

Round 5 (No. 143) --

Round 5 (No. 171) --

Round 6 (No. 180) --

Round 7 (No. 232) --

Round 7 (No. 245) --

Grade the pick

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