Giants made right move to get Daniel Jones the No. 1 WR he needs-ZoomTech News

The New York Giants suffered via Daniel Jones’ six horrible video games final season, lived via his torn ACL and regarded his two neck accidents up to now three years. But they nonetheless primarily dedicated to him for a minimum of another season after they did not draft a quarterback within the first spherical of the NFL Draft on Thursday evening.

That is not more likely to be a well-liked transfer amongst many of their disgruntled fan base.

But it surely was completely the appropriate one.

The Giants did make an try and commerce up for North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, however as soon as they have been rebuffed by the New England Patriots, who took Maye at No. 3, they correctly declined to succeed in for an additional substitute for Jones. As an alternative, they stayed put at No. 6 and took LSU’s Malik Nabers, who has been described by a number of scouts as probably the most explosive huge receiver within the draft.

In doing so, they gave the 26-year-old Jones the sort of weapon he is by no means had — the type that each quarterback must have an opportunity on this pass-happy NFL period. Giants common supervisor Joe Schoen described Nabers as “electrical.” Giants coach Brian Daboll known as him “a canine.” 

The Giants have not had a receiver that could possibly be described like that (with a straight face) since Odell Beckham was traded away in 2019.

Nabers actually is that sort of receiver. He has an opportunity to be what Plaxico Burress was for Eli Manning early in his profession, or what Beckham was for Manning later. He’s a game-changing, sure-handed receiver with 4.3 pace and a burst that enables him to take quick passes and switch them into lengthy ones.

The Giants have not had a single receiver prime 66 catches or 751 yards in a season since Jones arrived in 2019. They’ve had no one that apprehensive a single defensive coordinator they confronted. 

Nabers had 89 catches for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns in 13 video games final season. And you’ll guess opposing defenses will strive to determine the place he’s and the place he is going each time he steps on the sector.

Schoen insisted that Nabers was “the man we focused,” which is what GMs at all times say after making their first-round choose. But it surely did not go unnoticed that the Giants spent an inordinate period of time the previous couple of months wining, eating, probing and investigating the entire prime quarterbacks within the draft. They have been critically contemplating hedging their bets on Jones’ future. And a number of sources mentioned they fell in love with Maye and regarded buying and selling as much as get him. He was the quarterback that will have precipitated Schoen to maneuver on from Jones.

However as soon as that possibility dried up — and it turned more and more clear in current days that it could — the Giants by no means felt determined sufficient to succeed in for another person. They didn’t have the identical heat emotions about Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, in line with a supply, and so they had medical issues about Washington’s Michael Penix, who went to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8.

So, as a substitute they determined to stay to the quarterback they married final March after they gave Jones that four-year, $160 million contract with $82 million assured. It could have been daring and dangerous sufficient to maneuver on from him so quickly after the ink had dried on that deal. The Giants weren’t going to compound the chance of reaching for a quarterback they did not love.

As an alternative, they acknowledged their uncomfortable reality — that not a lot has modified within the two years since Giants co-owner John Mara was speaking about Jones and famously mentioned “We have achieved every part potential to screw this child up since he is been right here.” They could have stabilized the teaching workers since then, however the offensive line final season was nonetheless a practice wreck.

They usually by no means got here near giving him that No. 1 receiver each quarterback wants.

Now they’ve, by choosing Nabers, who will give Jones a combating probability to reach Daboll’s offense — and never simply by handing the ball off or operating himself like he did largely throughout his greatest season in 2022. Jones has at all times proven he can throw the ball, each within the pocket and on the run.

Now he is bought somebody who cannot solely catch it, however do one thing with it, too.

There are nonetheless dangers and unfinished enterprise, after all. The Giants cannot but promise that Jones might be recovered sufficient from knee surgical procedure to take part in coaching camp or begin Week 1. And people neck accidents that they’ve by no means totally defined nonetheless appear to characterize a recurring threat, too. In addition they nonetheless have work to do on that offensive line, and really want a giant step up from proper deal with Evan Neal. If the road is as unhealthy as they have been in Jones’ six begins final season, it will not make a lot of a distinction who his receivers are — particularly since he does not have Saquon Barkley to fall again on anymore.

But when he is wholesome, and if they will defend him, the Giants lastly might have the constructing blocks of an offense. Sure, dropping Barkley continues to be a blow, however they’ve a few promising younger receivers in Jalin Hyatt and Wan’Dale Robinson — each of whom will now get the good thing about Nabers drawing a lot of the protection away. 

Had they drafted Jones’ substitute as a substitute they’d have created a quarterback controversy this season that will have promised to be messy. And they’d have thrown that younger quarterback into the identical state of affairs that Jones was in — with no No. 1 receiver to assist bail him out.

That may have represented a step again, which is rarely a sensible transfer — particularly for a coach who very seemingly must win this season to maintain his job. Jones, regardless of final yr’s nightmare, offers the Giants the perfect shot to win prior to later.

And it is a good higher shot with a receiver like Nabers on his facet.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports activities, overlaying the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the earlier six years overlaying the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and earlier than that, 16 years overlaying the Giants and the NFL for the New York Every day Information. Comply with him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

---

---