New York Giants: Reacting to the selection of Kyle Lauletta

The New York Giants drafted a quarterback! Instead of taking one in the first round, they drafted Kyle Lauletta in the fourth round.

Davis Webb may have been feeling good after the New York Giants passed on Sam Darnold on Thursday night, but he now has some competition to be Eli Manning’s successor. Big Blue spent their fourth-round pick on Richmond quarterback Kyle Lauletta.

Lauletta is an interesting pick for the Giants. The FCS quarterback is the reigning CAA Offensive Player of the Year, but will he be able to translate his game to the NFL?

Lauletta has solid accuracy and workable mechanics. He doesn’t have a cannon for an arm but he has enough of an arm to get the job done. He shows good athleticism in the pocket and has a compact throwing motion. Despite being a small school guy. Lauletta thrived under pressure at the Senior Bowl.

Optimum Scouting’s Eric Galko loves Lauletta and compares him to Jimmy Garoppolo:

This is a developmental pick for Big Blue. Lauletta and Webb will compete in camp and throughout the preseason. They’ll likely both make the team, with Lauletta taking Geno Smith’s roster spot from last season.

The plan all along was for Manning to start in 2018 and possibly 2019. Lauletta should take a page out of Webb’s book and follow Manning around all season and learn everything he can. With a year of watching Manning for Lauletta and two years for Webb, they will both be better prepared to step up in 2019 if necessary.

There were certainly starting caliber players still on the board, namely Maurice Hurst, Tyrell Crosby, and Jamarco Jones. However, Dave Gettleman said he didn’t fall in love with any of the first-round quarterback prospects so he finds a potential future starter in the fourth round instead.

Next: Potential targets on Day 3 of the NFL Draft

I think this is a solid pick for the New York Giants. It’s not an immediate starter, but they now don’t have to rely solely on Davis Webb as their future at quarterback. Considering they haven’t seen him take a regular-season NFL snap, it’s smart to hedge their bet. This Gettleman regime also didn’t draft Webb. They now have their own guy in Kyle Lauletta, who’s drawn comparisons to Alex Smith and Jimmy G, and it could pay off big time down the road.