Of Course the Giants Should Draft Trevor Lawrence With the No. 1 Pick

The Giants fell to 0-4, after a loss to the Rams on Sunday. The only other winless teams remaining are the Jets, Texans, and Falcons, who are 0-3 and play the Packers tonight. The Falcons and Texans probably won’t be bad enough to contend for the no. 1 pick. It’s possible that the Broncos, Dolphins, and Washington football team, all 1-3, could compete for it, but as of now, it looks like it’s between the Giants and Jets.

If the Giants do earn the number 1 overall pick, then they should definitely draft Trevor Lawrence.

It’s probably unfair to say at this juncture that Daniel Jones cannot be a great NFL quarterback. His Giants team has more holes than a 1972 Grateful Dead t-shirt. The offensive line is atrocious. Jones has been sacked 14 times, tied with Carson Wentz for third most in the league behind Joe Burrow, who has been sacked fifteen times behind a brutal o-line, and Deshaun Watson, who often holds the ball too long hoping to extend plays. Watson has been sacked 16 times.

Nonetheless, Jones ranks no. 31 in the NFL, with 6.0 yards per pass attempt. His production is not high enough that to justify passing on Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence has the best chance becoming a franchise quarterback straight out of college since Andrew Luck was drafted by the Colts in 2012. Players like Russell Wilson, also drafted in 2012, and Lamar Jackson have become franchise QBs right away, but there was no consensus regarding their potential. Luck was a sure thing, and Lawrence is likely to be one too.

You might be able to count on one hand the number of NFL quarterbacks who would definitely not be replaced by Lawrence. Daniel Jones isn’t one of them.

There is also another issue at play here. If the Giants are in the position to get the first pick in the draft, then they should definitely not allow Dave Gettleman to make it. Gettleman may become stubborn and attempt to stick it out with Jones, the quarterback he selected. However, the appointment of a new Giants general manager would mean that won’t be possible.