1-2 PUNCH AT QB!
Darnold & Rosen declare, 1 will be there for Giants
HAPPY birthday, Eli. The Giants officially will have the opportunity with the No. 2 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft to select either Josh Rosen or Sam Darnold to succeed Eli Manning as their franchise quarterback if they wish.
Rosen, the UCLA junior, and Darnold, the sophomore from USC, both declared for the draft within a half-hour of each other on Wednesday evening, Manning’s 37th birthday, way ahead of the Jan. 15 deadline. Now Giants GM Dave Gettleman is on the clock.
Well, technically, the Cleveland Browns are on the clock at No. 1, but Gettleman at No. 2 now must evaluate these quarterbacks, decide if he likes both or one more than the other, determine who the Browns will take, and gauge which teams may try to trade over the Giants if Cleveland sells the pick.
And he must balance the Giants’ need for an immediate impact player at other positions against the smart money that franchise quarterbacks don’t grow on trees and when you have a chance to take one, you do it.
Manning’s father Archie was second in a 1-2 QB draft opening behind Jim Plunkett in 1971. Manning’s brother Peyton was first in a 1-2 QB order ahead of Ryan Leaf at the top of the 1998 draft. And Manning could end up being succeeded by either Rosen or Darnold — if not by the young QB already in the building, Davis Webb.
Rosen, 20, the 6-4, 218-pound pure passer from Manhattan Beach, Calif., boasts a controversial swagger but backs it up with how impressively he spins spirals.
ESPN reported on Christmas Eve that Rosen would prefer to play for the Giants over the Browns and that the possibility of being drafted by Cleveland at No. 1 might deter him from declaring. He obviously declared anyway, but his preference to play in New York hasn’t changed. Darnold, 20, the 6-4, 220-pound captain from Capistrano Beach, Calif., has drawn comparisons to Ben Roethlisberger for his size and mobility and ability to thrive on broken plays.
Darnold’s final college game was a disappointment: he completed 26 of 45 passes for 356 yards but threw an interception and lost two fumbles in a 24-7 Cotton Bowl loss on Dec. 29 to Ohio State. But Darnold was under duress the whole game and what has stuck with talent evaluators was Darnold’s conclusion to his freshman season.
Darnold entered as the starter in the fourth game of 2016 and lost but then led the Trojans to nine straight wins to end the year, capped by throwing for 453 yards and five TDs in a 52-49 Rose Bowl comeback victory over Penn State.
Now that the Giants are guaranteed one of these two QBs will fall to No. 2, here are points/ scenarios to consider:
PLAY NOW VS. DEVELOP
Rosen looks like more of a plug-and-play prospect, while Darnold may need a year to develop. Teams nowadays normally are drafting a quarterback at the top of the first round to play immediately, if not by the middle of their rookie seasons. But if the Giants drafted Rosen, would they simply hand him the keys for Week 1? Conversely, if they picked Darnold but wanted to wait until he was ready, could they rationalize drafting him when their roster requires upgrades at so many other positions, from offensive line to linebacker and more? John Mara wants the Giants to win again immediately in 2018 after their 3-13 season. Does that mean playing a rookie quarterback? More likely it means playing Eli Manning one more season while that rookie is groomed. But that brings us to another point:
WHAT ABOUT ELI?
The fact that the Giants are guaranteed an opportunity to draft one of these QBs could factor into Manning’s decision to come back or request a trade or release. The Giants can’t control what happens with the Browns’ pick and are in the middle of interviewing prospective head coaches. So when Gettleman and Manning meet to discuss the organization’s plan for the future and the quarterback’s fit in it, the GM probably won’t be able to guarantee Manning much in the way of what the 2018 season will hold.
CONSIDER THE GM
Gettleman, interestingly enough, made 28 picks across five drafts as the Carolina Panthers’ GM from 2013-16 and never took a quarterback. He didn’t have to. He already had Cam Newton. Gettleman was working for the Giants when Accorsi swung the 2004 draft day trade for Manning. But drafting either Rosen or Darnold to lead the Giants for the next 10-15 years would be a new kind of challenge.
BUT WHAT IF GETTLEMAN LIKES ONE QB ONLY, OR NEITHER?
The assumption has been that the Giants can take whichever quarterback falls to No. 2 and they’ll be well off, but Gettleman is making the call. What if he falls in love with Rosen’s potential
but not Darnold’s, or if he wants Darnold but not Rosen? That could mean Gettleman possibly needing to trade up to No. 1 with the Browns to protect his interest. Or what if Gettleman isn’t sold on either QB? Penn State running back Saquon Barkley is a “wow” talent and Gettleman also said last week that the offensive and defensive lines, or the “hog mollies,” are his top priority.
No pressure, Dave. All while trying to hire a head coach and avoid blowing the candles out on Manning for good.