The situation between Daniel Jones and the Giants has certainly had some twists recently and it has opened the door for New York to be looking towards a future where someone that isn’t Jones is under center. There has been a reported gap between what Jones wants and what the Giants have offered the QB, and there is a very real possibility that they use the franchise tag on him.
That could lead to the Giants looking to the draft to try and find a quarterback for the future after the one-year deal expires on Jones. Outside of the guys like Bryce Young and CJ Stroud, who will go in the first round, this year’s draft class isn’t the deepest talent pool for the Giants to pick from.
Still, there are viable prospects that the Giants could take a shot on and have them spend a year developing under Jones before taking over the starting job in 2024. Here is a look at a few names that could be on the Giants’ draft board if they go looking for a QB of the future in April’s NFL Draft.
Giants Top Targets
When you look at the options that the Giants will have to pick from, there are three names that should be their top priority. Hendon Hooker, Max Duggan and Jaren Hall could make for the best available options on the board when New York goes looking for a QB.
Hooker might be at the top of the list among the three names mentioned having some pretty significant success with Tennesse in college football’s premier conference, the SEC. He threw for 3,135 yards and completed 70% of his passes while putting up 27 touchdowns and only being picked off twice. Hooker was under center when Tennessee had a historic win over Alabama and has shown the ability to be a duel threat at QB.
An ACL tear ended his final college season early and could impact his rookie season, but under this plan he would be given the year to develop anyway without the pressures of being the starter.
Duggan presents another option after leading the TCU Horn Frogs to the National Championship game this past season. He showed a lot of growth in his passing accuracy and has a strong arm and mobility that make him a good NFL prospect. Duggan also has been known as a strong leader on the field, but his size is a bit of a drawback.
BYU’s Hall is a name that amNewYork already honed in on in its Giants mock draft earlier this week and should be on New York’s radar. He is a QB with strong velocity, along with the ability to throw while on the move, and has the ability to fit the run game that Giants head coach Brian Dabolls wants to deploy.
Next Best Thing
Fresno State’s Jake Haener has seen his stock rise recently and had a solid week at the Senior Bowl earlier this month. He’ll be headed to the NFL Draft Combine in March and could be worth a shot if the Giants see the potential that some draft experts have seen in him more recently.
Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. compared him to a Drew Breese-type player and his game management abilities have likened him to Brock Purdy. Haener threw for 2,896 yards, 20 touchdowns and three interceptions with the Bulldogs last season even after missing most of October with an injury.
Long Shots
It would take a lot for this name to fall to the Giants.
That of course is Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson. He’s high up there on just about everyone’s draft board and the reality of him being available for the Giants at any point seems slim, but there seems to be little doubt that he’s an NFL-caliber QB in the making and CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso could even see him go first overall if the Indianapolis Colts traded up in the draft.
“He’s going to blow the roof off Lucas Oil Stadium at the combine and there’s just going to be such a stark difference between Anthony Richardson as a physical and athletic specimen and Bryce Young,” Trapasso said during an appearance on the Zach Gelb Show.
