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The Giants will need a QB sooner or later

by Spiro Kasabian @slickfella_spi

Pat Shurmur has officially been named the 18th coach in the New York Giants history.  He will waste no time in heading down to Mobile Alabama for the Senior Bowl to join the recently hired GM Dave Gettleman.  They will be tasked with finding the next great quarterback in New York Giants history.  This is no small task.

Having a coach, who has proven to be successful at getting the most out of his quarterbacks, cannot be understated in this process.  Shurmur has shown the ability to mold young, rookie quarterbacks such as Donovan McNabb.  It should make the Giant fan base feel warm and fuzzy, that a guy with this much experience (and who some call a “Quarterback Whisperer”), will have a big say in who the quarterback of the future will be.

As things stand right now, Shurmur, Gettleman, and the Giants brass are leaning towards keeping Eli Manning for at least one more year.  This is a wise move if the Giants decide to draft a quarterback with the #2 pick.  This allows Manning to be a mentor for a year (or two), it also allows the rookie signal-caller not be thrown into the fire to early.   Learning the new system will be very valuable as well as having extra time to teach the nuances of the position.

Being a first-year coach on a new team, Shurmur is allotted more flexibility when it comes to time spent with players and coaches.  This is his time to see what makes his team tick, but more importantly time to evaluate Davis Webb.  Webb is a 3rd round pick that is not lacking talent, and there are many in the front office that think very highly of him.  Only time will tell if Shurmur and the Giants brass decide that they like what Webb brings to the table.  If Shurmur believes he can turn Webb into a solid quarterback, the Giants can go in a different direction with their first pick.

Below is a list composed of the top three ranked quarterbacks in this draft:

* Josh Rosen – Has all the measurables, to go along with a rocket arm.  Scouts believe Rosen is the most talented and NFL ready of all the quarterbacks in this draft.  Played in an NFL-style offense at UCLA.  The knocks on him are personality related (outspoken, brash, had issues with some teammates and ex-coaches), injury history (concussions and shoulder injury), and he simply did not win a ton while at UCLA in a weak Pac-12.

Comparison – Matt Ryan

 * Sam Darnold – Another guy with ideal height and weight, Darnold has good arm strength that goes along with solid accuracy.  What I like about Darnold is that he possesses the “it” factor late in games…when it’s needed the most.  He is more mobile than Rosen and provides a scramble element to his game when things break down.  The knock on Darnold is that he is a bit less polished than Rosen, so he will require more development (Shurmurnator Time).  His turnover/ball security issues have been well-documented, and his mechanics could use work.

Comparison – Andrew Luck

 * Josh Allen – Allen is another quarterback that checks the height & weight boxes needed for a prototypical NFL QB at 6’5’’ 222 pounds.  People will drool over Allen’s raw skills, as he has a great arm, he is a superb athlete that is the best dual threat QB of the bunch.  He will be a true combine monster.  There are major concerns with Allen regarding his accuracy, which many people will say is the one thing that is hard to teach (some may say this can’t be taught).  Another issue for the New York Giants is the level of competition he has gone up against at Wyoming, while also putting up pedestrian numbers against said competition.  High-floor, low ceiling with the biggest bust potential here, in my opinion.

Comparison – Ben Roethlisberger

Each of these quarterbacks have a ton of talent.  They all look the part, but they all do come with some issues as well.  These quarterbacks will be picked apart for the next 3 months, but get used to it.  This will be a debate that will rage on all the way up until April 26th and far into their playing careers.

So, New York Giant fans……who is your pick to replace Eli Manning?