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With one win through the first six games of this season and virtually no chance of making the playoffs, the New York Giants have little choice but to focus their attention on the future.
- With veteran quarterback Eli Manning in his 15th season with the New York Giants, many have called on the franchise's front office to consider using their first-round 2019 draft pick to select a young quarterback to prepare for the future.
- According to Chris Trapasso's latest 2019 NFL mock draft for CBS Sports, New York will target Duke quarterback Daniel Jones with the ninth overall pick, making him the first quarterback of the class to come off the board.
- Manning and Jones have the common experience of training under current Duke head coach and former Ole Miss quarterback coach David Cutcliffe, which could make Manning the perfect person to groom the sleeper pick into the Giants' next great quarterback.
With one win through the first six games of this season and virtually no chance of making the playoffs, the New York Giants have little choice but to focus their attention on the future.
With veteran quarterback Eli Manning in his 15th season with the Giants, many have called on the franchise's front office to consider using their first-round 2019 draft pick to select a young quarterback who will be ready to take over in New York whenever the 37-year-old relinquishes his spot under center.
Business Insider spoke with Manning after he surprised high schoolers at the launch of the latest version of Visa's Financial Football - a game geared at teaching young people about financial literacy and money management. Manning cited his own father's advice in guiding the students through a lesson in personal finance:
"My dad would always talk about how 'you never go broke taking a profit,' which was kind of his line for managing your money but also for playing football," Manning told Business Insider. "For quarterbacks, it's about getting completions and moving the ball down the field while playing smart and not doing risky investments - or risky throws."
The Giants may not take either Manning's advice when it comes to the 2019 NFL Draft, opting for a sleeper with tons of upside rather than a proven front-runner with their first-round pick. According to Chris Trapasso's latest 2019 NFL mock draft for CBS Sports, New York will target Duke quarterback Daniel Jones with the ninth overall pick, making him the first quarterback of the class to come off the board.
The Charlotte, North Carolina native has steadily improved in his three years with the Blue Devils. Jones was recently named to Pro Football Focus' prospects on the rise list, and his performance this season could very well explain why. In the four games Jones has played this season, he completed 69 of 101 pass attempts for 821 yards and thrown for eight touchdowns while ceding just two interceptions, good for a whopping 158.8 passer rating.
Check out some of his highlights heading into this season:
"I've been impressed with [Jones]," Manning said. "I always keep up with Duke. They're having a great year this year, and I know Daniel is back and playing well."
Aside from his impressive statistics, there is another factor that makes Jones a great fit for New York. Manning and Jones both have the experience of training under current Duke head coach and former Ole Miss quarterback coach David Cutcliffe.
"Coach Cutcliffe has been a great influence on me, and I still have a great relationship with him," Manning said. "I've gone down to Duke every spring for the last seven or eight years at least and worked with them, so I appreciate his coaching of me and his honesty. I have great respect for Coach Cutcliffe and consider him more than a coach at this point. He's a great friend."
A lot can change between now and the NFL Draft in April, but if Jones winds up in the Giants' hands, it's more than reasonable to expect that their two-time Super Bowl MVP would take Cutcliffe's latest protégé under his wing and groom him for success in the pros.