Big Blew!

So much for not forcing a pick. So much for a plan.

The Giants went into this year's NFL draft with two glaring needs: pass rusher and offensive line help. They ended up with three first round picks - one via a trade - and failed to address any of them. To say this was an epic fail would be putting it mildly. I've watched this organization pull some boners over the years, but nothing could've prepared me for what happened last night.

First, thanks to the Raiders choosing Clelin Ferrell with the fourth overall pick, the Giants were guaranteed a shot at getting a defensive stud at number 6. Once Tampa took Devin White at 5, the only question that remained was whether the Jints would snag Josh Allen or Ed Oliver. Either would've been a solid pick that would've instantly stepped in as a play maker on defense. Instead, Dave Gettleman chose Daniel Jones, a quarterback that most football experts thought was a late first rounder at best and will likely sit at least a year, maybe two, behind Eli Manning.

There is no excuse for this pick. Even if Gettleman "loved" the guy, he could've had him at 17. Once they passed on Dwayne Haskins - which several mock drafts had going to them at 6 - the urgency of picking Jones early went out the window. Given that the Broncos at 10 traded down with the Steelers and the Redskins ended up with Haskins at 15, the Giants could've had their cake and eaten it too just by being patient. Imagine landing your edge rusher AND your quarterback of the future in the same round without having to trade up. Now that's what I call killing two birds with one stone.

But the news only got worse for the Giants as the evening progressed. After Gettleman passed up Allen at 6, Tom Coughlin's Jaguars took care of business and took him at 7. Then the Bills snatched up Oliver, the other stud the Giants could've had, with the 9th pick. Then, one by one, every defensive player who could've made a difference, from Devin Bush to Rashan Gary to Brian Burns, came off the board. By the time the 17th pick came around, Gettleman was forced to settle for Dexter Lawrence, who's basically a nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme. And while he's outstanding against the run, he's somewhat average as a pass rusher. In three years at Clemson, Lawrence had a grand total of 10 sacks. Allen, by comparison, had 17 in his final year at Kentucky. So instead of drafting a potential hall of fame linebacker, ala a Carl Banks, the Giants come up with, at best, a two-down lineman who will likely play out of position because they already have a nose tackle.

The only saving grace was Deandre Baker, a highly regarded cornerback, whom the Giants traded back into the first round to get. The price tag was one of their three 4th round picks along with their 2nd rounder. They traded up from 37 to 30 to get a player they likely could've gotten had they stayed put. So, to sum up, no premium pass rusher, no offensive line help for Eli, and a slightly above average to mediocre quarterback who will likely go down as the next Dave Brown. Astonishing!

Spare me the ridiculous Kansas City model comparisons. For one thing, Daniel Jones is no Pat Mahomes. For another, the Chiefs are a winning organization with talented people in charge of it. The Giants, from the looks of it, are run by the Three Stooges, and two of them are named John Mara and Steve Tisch. Mara's father, Wellington, must be spinning in his grave.

The thing that hurts the most is that I defended Gettleman when he traded Odell Beckham, Jr. last month. I thought then, and still do, that it was the right move. Beckham's act was getting old fast. Despite his considerable talent, he never delivered in the clutch. The only winning season the Giants had in his five-year stint was 2016, and as I pointed out, that was because of a great defense. The good people of Cleveland will now have to contend with his antics.

I also defended his decision to pick Saquon Barkley over a quarterback with the overall 2nd pick in 2018. I agreed with him that he was the best player in the draft that year, and nothing I've seen since has convinced me otherwise. The rule is you always choose the best player on the board when it's your turn to pick. It was the case last year, and it should've been the case this year. Gettleman's decision to ignore that rule could end up costing the Giants dearly. It is well understood that if you go for a quarterback and he doesn't work out, it can set your organization back years. It's been 42 years since Joe Namath retired and how many quarterbacks have the Jets drafted trying to find a suitable replacement? Even now, they still don't know if Sam Darnold is the real deal.

The moral of the story is that Super Bowl quarterbacks don't grow on trees. The Giants have been fortunate indeed to have two that have taken them to the promised land: Phil Simms and Eli Manning. And while the latter may be a couple years passed his expiration date, that's still no excuse for forcing the issue, especially when next year's class of quarterbacks looks like it'll be considerably better than this year's.

That Dave Gettleman didn't know that is deeply disturbing; that the owners of the Giants didn't find that out before hand is even worse.