Upon selecting quarterback Ryan Nassib a few years ago in the fourth round, Giants general manager Jerry Reese said he hoped Nassib would never have to take a snap.
He didn't, and Eli Manning's emergency backup moved on. That led to the selection of Cal quarterback Davis Webb on Friday night and the obvious follow-up question a few years later: Does the team hope Webb never takes a snap, either?
"We hope that Eli continues to play at a high level and this guy can develop," Reese said, via comments distributed by the team. "That is what we hope for. You never know what is going to happen, but that is what we hope for."
The Giants did not call Manning before the selection of Webb, but did communicate with him immediately after.
"We didn't have any conversation with Eli before we drafted, but we draft a quarterback and we are going to let our quarterback know that we are drafting a quarterback, of course," Reese said.
The Giants were one of five teams -- Cardinals, Saints, Chargers and Steelers -- who were thought to be in the market for an actual heir apparent during this draft but so far, only Reese pulled the trigger. They are also one of the few teams that has talked openly about the "back nine" of their quarterback's career. It's difficult to read too much into the selection given how the board fell and where the Giants were picking, but it's always fair to wonder how close Manning truly is to 18, and what made drafting his successor more a priority than one for Philip Rivers, Carson Palmer, Ben Roethlisberger or Drew Brees.
Reese and the rest of the team's personnel department have made no secret that they're maximizing a window. The team has spent lavishly in free agency over the past few seasons in order to carry their club back to the Super Bowl while Manning is still above replacement level. Does Webb signify that this time will occur somewhere over the next four years? Or, is he simply another Nassib?
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