Dave Gettleman knows the outside world thinks he needs to draft a quarterback high in the 2019 NFL Draft. Dave Gettleman will not kowtow to that perception, nor will he feel forced to take one high. As a matter of fact, Dave Gettleman won't be forced to take any specific position.
"I'm just telling you: I'm not going to force a pick," the New York Giants general manager said Thursday, via ESPN. "You can't draft for need. You'll get screwed every time. You'll make a mistake."
Amid suggesting the Giants don't own a glaring need at quarterback, because Eli Manning "proved" he "had a lot left," Gettleman said specifically he wouldn't reach for a signal-caller.
"No," Gettleman insisted. "No special category."
Last year's selection certainly showed the GM isn't afraid to stick by that plan, selecting a running back with the No. 2 overall pick. Gettleman glowed about the Saquon Barkley pick last year, intimating the running back came into the league already sporting a gold jacket. The Giants passed on the likes of quarterbacks Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Josh Rosen. Positional value be damned.
Gettleman's philosophy is clear: Take the best player available.
"The priority is to select the best players," Gettleman said. "I know that sounds silly. But last year, again, we couldn't pass up on Saquon [Barkley]. He was the best player in the draft. You can't do that."
With picks at No. 6 and No. 17 in the first round of Thursday's draft in Nashville, it sounds like Gettleman will eschew QB with his first selection but might look longer at No. 17.
"Listen, if we have a quarterback graded in the first round, we love him," Gettleman said.
If Gettleman loves a QB, he'll likely need to take him at No. 6. For all the talk about teams selecting the best player available, quarterbacks always go higher than expected because their positional value so far outweighs all others it tips the scales. Until a team finds a franchise signal-caller that club will be in perpetual purgatory.
Of course, if you think you already have that QB, then the desire to reach for one would be further diluted.
