New York Giants Draft Preview: Quarterback
Will the New York Giants take a quarterback during the 2016 NFL Draft? We break down their current situation at the position heading into the draft and the likelihood of one being selected.
The New York Giants had a strong start to their offseason with a spending spree to start free agency. But, if the Giants want to truly have a great offseason, they will need to find some success in the NFL Draft beginning Thursday. The Giants have a few holes remaining that they would like to fill, and the draft will afford them that chance.
For this article and others to follow, we will break down the current outlook by position for the Giants, and how much of a need it will be heading into the 2016 NFL Draft. The first position we will take a look at is quarterback.
Current Depth Chart:
The quarterback spot for the New York Giants is Manning’s and will be his as long as he wants to play. He is coming off two very strong seasons with Ben McAdoo as offensive coordinator, and will look to continue making progress with McAdoo being promoted to head coach.
Manning has put together arguably his two strongest seasons of his career under McAdoo, as he has become a more efficient passer. He completed 63.1 percent of his passes with 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions his first season under McAdoo, and 62.6 with a career-high 35 touchdowns and 14 interceptions this past season. He also posted the second and third highest season marks for yards, throwing for 4,410 in 2014 and 4,436 in 2015.
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What makes the completion percentage so strong for Manning is that he set career-highs for attempted passes the last two seasons. In 2014 he threw the ball 601 times, and in 2015 he threw it 618. Manning has been relied upon heavily, as the Giants running game has been nonexistent in recent seasons, putting a lot of pressure on the shoulders of Manning.
Manning is as durable as they come not missing a start since he took over for Kurt Warner in 2004 (knock on wood). That means Nassib has received very few chances to showcase his skills outside of preseason action, but he is someone that the Giants like as their backup. He has shown progress during the offseasons, and the Giants seem comfortable that if for some reason Manning cannot get on the field, Nassib could get the job done.
Nassib was the last quarterback that the Giants selected, making him their selection in the third round of the 2013 draft. You have to go back to 2009 for the last time before then that the Giants selected a quarterback, when they selected Rhett Bomar out of Sam Houston State in the fifth round.
So what are the chances that the Giants select a quarterback this season? Slim to none is a fair answer. The Giants do not like keeping three quarterbacks on the roster, preferring to use that roster spot in other ways. But, with Nassib entering the final year of his contract, the Giants could feel compelled to add a quarterback to the roster. If they add a quarterback in the draft, it will not come until later on as they have other pressing needs to fill in the early rounds of the draft.
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Right now the likelihood of the Giants selecting a quarterback, on a scale of 1-10, is a two at the highest. Manning is entrenched as the starter, and anyone they select would find it difficult to unseat Nassib as his backup. The only reason the Giants would consider selecting a quarterback is if they want to have an insurance policy for Nassib leaving after this season as a free agent. Otherwise, this is a position that will more than likely go ignored by the Giants in the 2016 NFL Draft.