Giants GM Dave Gettleman opens up about drafting QB Daniel Jones

In the days that have followed the first day of this year’s draft, there has been much criticism tossed the New York Giants’ way for taking former Duke quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick.

This has seen some strong comments in response from Giants general Dave Gettleman in defense of the selection. Gettleman has further backed this move by stating that he didn’t believe that Jones would be there at their next selection at the 17th overall pick, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.

“I can say this to you guys right now. When we got in here Thursday night, the question was posed, ‘Why didn’t you wait until 17?'” Gettleman said after the draft concluded Saturday night. “Well, I know for a fact there were two teams that would have taken him in front of 17. I know that for a fact.

“So it’s tough. It really is. It wasn’t easy for me to pass up Josh Allen,” he added, referring to the Kentucky linebacker who was selected by the Jaguars at No. 7. “For me, my background, that was very, very difficult. But I think that much of Daniel Jones and his future as an NFL quarterback.”

It also showed that the team had valued Jones over former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who the team had been heavily linked to in the weeks ahead of the draft. Instead, they elected to go with Jones, who has drawn more comparisons to Peyton Manning in his potential and skill-set in some regard.

Meanwhile, there could be some credence to Jones possibly being off the board by then as there were a few other quarterback-needy teams behind them in the draft order. It should be noted that the first quarterback off the board after Jones was at the 15th overall spot with the Washington Redskins.

Ultimately, the Giants will move forward with Jones as being their long-term plan at the position after they eventually move on from Eli Manning.