The New York Giants definitely started off Day 3 with their typical “Best Player Available” strategy, taking Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib with their 2013 NFL Draft fourth-round selection despite already possessing the franchise quarterback
“Again, we have Eli in the prime of his career and you actually hope this quarterback never plays,” Giants general manager Jerry Reese said, via USA Today. “If something happens? We want to have a guy ready to go, and this guy fits the pattern that we need. We’re just looking for a good player to be the backup quarterback and we’re fortunate enough to secure this young guy, and we’ll see where it goes.”
As a Giants fan, I have mixed feelings on this. On one end of the spectrum, the pick left present needs at safety and linebacker un-addressed heading into Round 5. On the other, many esteemed draft experts like Russ Lande have him rated at the No. 1 quarterback in the class, and many draftniks had him going off the board at the eighth overall pick, or 102 picks ahead of where Big Blue got him.
Eli Manning has never missed a start in his career but as we saw with the New England Patriots and Tom Brady, you just never know when the franchise quarterback could go down. There are also plenty of instances, as with the Chicago Bears and Jay Cutler in 2011, where a season can be ruined almost solely due to a quarterback injury.
Thomas Emerick is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasEmerick, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google