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The 2022 NFL Draft starts on Thursday, and the New York Giants own two picks — No. 5 and No. 7 — in the first round.
In an NFL Network segment that aired the day before the draft, Good Morning Football host Kyle Brandt made the case for the Giants to use one of those two picks on a quarterback. The QB he thinks would pair best with new head coach Brian Daboll is Liberty’s Malik Willis.
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Here’s the full segment, courtesy of Brandt on Twitter:
“The team I would like to see take a quarterback with their first-round pick is the New York Giants,” Brandt said. “And I say that with a full understanding that it’s very difficult to admit when you are wrong. Especially an organization like that. Especially with a guy like Daniel Jones, who seems to be a great person, a great worker, a great teammate. … I don’t think that was the right pick for them.”
Unfortunately for Daniel Jones, it’s easier to admit someone else’s mistake than your own. He was drafted by former general manager Dave Gettleman (6th overall in 2019), and the current regime under Joe Schoen just inherited him. That could make it easier for the Giants to draft a quarterback with a top-10 pick, but is this the year to do it?
The quarterback prospects are not great, but Brandt tried to make the case for Willis. He did this by drawing comparisons to Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who Daboll coached in Buffalo.
“The same type of college program,” Brandt said. “Great running ability, rocket arm, raw. We gotta work on him a little bit.”
Willis started his collegiate career at Auburn, then transferred to Liberty. He is a dual-threat quarterback who completed 61.1 percent of his passes last season. He averaged 8.4 yards per pass attempt and 4.5 yards per rush attempt, while accounting for 40 total touchdowns (27 passing, 13 rushing) in 2021.
Giants to Meet About Daniel Jones on Draft Day
Before the Giants dive headfirst into the NFL Draft, Dianna Russini of ESPN reports that Schoen and Daboll will meet with ownership to discuss Jones’ future on Thursday. The team has to make a decision on the fifth-year option in his rookie contract by Tuesday, May 3. If the Giants pick it up, Jones will be due $22.4 million in 2023. If the Giants do not exercise his contract option, Jones will be a pending free agent after the season.
Jones is entering his fourth year in the NFL. The 6-foot-5 Duke product replaced Eli Manning as the Giants’ starting quarterback early in his rookie season, but he’s dealt with injuries every year and has a career win-loss record of 12-25. It also doesn’t help that he’s now on his third coach in four years.
The fact that the Giants are getting this meeting in to discuss Jones’ fifth-year option right before the draft is interesting. Perhaps the final decision is somewhat dependent on how their draft board falls over the next three days.
Will Any Rookie QB Be Better Than Jones in 2022?
Here’s a thought exercise: Imagine Daniel Jones was in this draft class. Where would he go? There’s no true consensus No. 1 quarterback prospect this year, and it’s not crazy to think Jones would be the first or second signal caller off the board (just like he was in 2019). His size and athleticism would likely get a lot more buzz in a class without a Kyler Murray.
Drafting a player like Willis with either the No. 5 or No. 7 overall pick would be trading one quarterback project for another. Maybe it works out in the long run, but considering the way things have gone lately, there isn’t a lot of patience in New York for long-term projects.
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