New York Giants 2013 NFL Draft Preview: Quarterback

New York Giants 2013 NFL Draft Preview: Quarterback

by BigBlueInteractive.com Contributor Sy’56

Current QBs on NYG Roster:

Eli Manning – 32 Years Old – Signed through 2015

David Carr – 33 Years Old – Signed through 2013

Curtis Painter  – 27 Years Old – Signed through 2013

Where They Stand:

The Giants are in a comfortable position with their starting quarterback.  Manning is a proven commodity with a track record of winning and clutch performance.  While he is not young, he still has plenty left in the tank and we may still have his best football ahead coming in the next few years.  Carr is a dependable backup with a strong arm and above average athletic ability.  He knows the system.  He can win games if Manning were to ever get hurt.  Painter is an experienced backup that will have to fight to make the final 53 man roster.

Top 10 Grades:

Mike Glennon – NC State: 77

Matt Barkley – USC: 76

Geno Smith – West Virginia: 76

EJ Manuel – Florida State: 74

Matt Scott – Arizona: 73

Ryan Nassib – Syracuse: 70

Zac Dysert – Miami (OH): 70

Tyler Bray – Tennessee: 65

Tyler Wilson – Arkansas: 65

Jordan Rodgers – Vanderbilt: 63

Early Round Target (1st-2nd):

Mike Glennon – NC State

Strong arm that can make every NFL throw.  Nice balance of power and touch on his passes downfield.  Easy release that could be sped up a bit.  Tough in the pocket.  Doesn’t go down easy despite the lanky, almost weak-looking frame.  Will complete a lot of passes under duress.  Won’t outrun anybody.  Not a threat outside the pocket as the play breaks down.

The Giants will not take a quarterback early.  But for the sake of this format, Glennon would be my guy early on.  Personally, I don’t care about the fact that he is 6’7.  He raises the level of play of those around him.  He was surrounded by below average backs, receivers, and tight ends at NC State.  However he played some of his best football in their biggest games.  The lack of mobility inside the pocket and lack of touch throughout the intermediate level of the route tree prevents him from being a 1st round caliber player.  But he can win games at the next level and at the very least could be an above average backup.

Mid Round Target (3rd-5th):

Matt Scott – Arizona

Strong arm with an ultra-quick release.  Top tier athletic ability.  Can drive the football downfield.  Tough as nails.  Overly confident.  Quick reaction.  Good decision maker.  Lacks touch when throwing between defenders.  Can’t drop the ball in to a bucket.  Pulls the ball down and runs when he does not need to.  Doesn’t have the pocket presence.

Scott is a favorite of mine.  I have him graded higher than most because of the athleticism/toughness/quick release combination.  He has a lot of development to do when it comes to reading NFL defenses and learning when to put touch on a ball, and when to fire it in there.  But he has been around different offensive schemes at Arizona and performed well in all of them.  He is a football player that adapts well and learns fast.

Late Round/Undrafted Target (6th-UDFA):

Jordan Rodgers – Vanderbilt

Throws a great ball consistently.  Tight spirals.  Shows a lot of zip on his passes underneath and intermediate.  Pocket-savvy.  Feels pressure from all ends.  Knows where to locate himself to get the passes off.  Can play against speed.  Knows how to locate the windows and throw a receiver open.  Fast/quick enough to scramble effectively.  Arm angles differ too often when they don’t need to.  Stares down primary targets.  Passes don’t look clean downfield.  Loses accuracy, loses power.

Rodgers has impressive pedigree, but it doesn’t boost his grade too much on my sheet.  He is a tough competitor though that showed flashes of high quality play against some of the toughest competition in college football.  Rodgers may be a practice squad guy early on, and I think he can be stashed away there for a year while the team can diagnose how high his NFL ceiling is.

The Plan:

Forget about all Quarterbacks until round 5 at the earliest.  There is a chance the Giants play all of 2013 with just Carr and Manning on the 53 man roster, meaning a draft pick would have to spend the season on the practice squad, leaving him susceptible to 31 other teams at any give time.  It would be tough to see any pick within the top 4 rounds wasted on a practice squad player.  If there is great value somewhere in those later rounds, go for it and lock up the potential future backup.  While the Giants are not looking for Eli Manning’s replacement yet, a youngster training under him for a few years wouldn’t be a bad thing.  This is not a position that should be completely ignored.