The New York Giants have a massive decision to make at the quarterback position this offseason and former Super Bowl Champion wide receiver Plaxico Burress wants to help them out.
The Giants have to make the decision to stick with two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning and guarantee him the starting job or to release Manning and save $17 million in 2019 salary cap space. The third option is for the Giants to keep Manning, draft his replacement, and let the two quarterbacks battle it out to earn the starting job. According to Burress, the Giants only have one option when it comes to the quarterback position in the 2019 offseason — draft Ohio State top prospect Dwayne Haskins.
“They have generational talent, but at the quarterback position, we just gotta find a way to solidify that position. . . and my mindset is if Dwayne Haskins is available at the sixth pick, we gotta take him,” Burress said during an appearance on FS1’s Undisputed. “Kyler Murray may end up at the New York Giants, but from a passing standpoint, with Sterling [Shepard] and Evan [Engram] and Odell, Haskins . . . is a better fit for that offense.”
For Burress, the decision to draft Haskins is a no-brainer and it’s not like he joined the crowd of those people who want the Giants to blindly draft a quarterback — any quarterback — no matter who it is. Burress has a clear-cut preference. He wants the Giants to pass up on Heisman Trophy winner and Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray for a player he feels will better fit head coach Pat Shurmur’s offensive scheme and the talent currently on the roster.
From a schematic standpoint, we think Burress makes a good argument. Haskins is a natural thrower of the football and he makes passing look effortless at times. He has the prototypical size for a quarterback and surprisingly mobility. This is why ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit compared him to a young Ben Roethlisberger during the Rose Bowl. Haskins’ ability to throw with incredible accuracy (70.2 percent completion rate) at all level — specifically the intermediate level — will theoretically allow Shurmur’s offense to stay on schedule and in rhythm more often. In other words, Haskins will get the ball into the hands of Odell Beckham Jr., Saquon Barkley, Evan Engram, and Sterling Shepard — they will do the rest.
>>15 Things Giants Fans Need To Know About Dwayne Haskins<<
One person who will certainly love to read Burress’ evaluation of the situation is Haskins himself. Earlier this offseason, Haskins made it pretty clear he is hoping the Giants draft him. The New Jersey native (he grew up in Highland Park) Tweeted then deleted a photoshopped image of him wearing No. 7 in a Giants jersey. Haskins also made it clear that he would have no problem sitting for an entire season and learning behind quarterback Eli Manning should the Giants decided to keep the veteran. According to Haskins, Manning is a legend and sometimes sitting and learning is the best route for a young quarterback.
This also isn’t the first time we’ve seen Haskins connected to the Giants. Earlier last week, we compiled the most recent mock drafts from a panel of experts around the NFL media landscape. Haskins was the prospect most often linked to the Giants in mock draft predictions.
If the Giants do decide to stick with Manning and name him the starting quarterback early, Burress believes the only chance the franchise has of succeeding with their veteran is by providing him with more help on the offensive line.
“From what I’m hearing, from what I understand, he’s gonna come back and play another,” Burress said of Manning. “They have to find a way to protect him, first and foremost. If you can’t protect him, he can’t go out and perform.”
One way for the Giants to help Manning is by using the No. 6 overall pick they might consider grabbing Haskins with on a top offensive line prospect instead like Alabama’s Jonah Williams. This right here is the conundrum the Giants find themselves in. They have to decide if they want to continue building around Manning or pull the plug and give some new blood a chance to maximize the franchise’s dearth of talented skill position players.
