The Combine provides the Jets and Giants closer looks at QB prospects
The annual NFL Combine began on Monday in Indianapolis and today will mark the opening of players performing drills on the field.
Quarterbacks will be showcased on Saturday so the Jets and Giants can get a closer look at their potential future starters. There are 32 starters and 32 primary backups in the NFL for a total of 64 quarterbacks—yet there aren’t 64 quarterbacks in the world in any given season that solidly man their stated roles.
The league is in perpetual pursuit of quality talent at a position that is as difficult to fill as any in American business and industry. Consider that there are more qualified Fortune 500 CEO candidates than franchise quarterbacks. The Giants and Jets, who went 6-11 and 7-10 last season, respectively, are prime examples.
When Aaron Rodgers went down with a torn left Achilles tendon four snaps into this past season, Zach Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, proved incapable of effectively guiding the team. Wilson was replaced by veteran Trevor Siemian, who was equally limited.
The Giants starter Daniel Jones went down with a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee during Week 9 and his backup Tyrod Taylor was sidelined for four weeks after suffering a rib injury during Week 8. Head coach Brian Daboll had to rely on rookie Tommy DeVito, who grew up in the shadows of MetLife Stadium playing for Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, New Jersey, to play in nine games, starting six.
While the jury is still out on whether Jones has the necessities to lead the Giants to the Super Bowl, Taylor is now a 34-year-old free-agent seeking another contract as a backup, perhaps back with the Giants, and DeVito will still have to battle for a roster spot.
So drafting a quarterback this year has to be in the Giants’ and Jets’ calculus. Not with their first round picks, because the three top prospects according to most draft evaluators—Caleb Williams of USC, 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of Arizona State, and 2023 Heisman Trophy recipient Drake May of North Carolina—are likely to be off the board before the Giants select at No. 6 and the Jets at No. 10.
The Chicago Bears will take a quarterback at the No. 1 spot, the Washington Commanders undoubtedly will snatch up a quarterback at No. 2, and the New England Patriots, who will begin next season with new head coach Jerod Mayo after the departure of Bill Belichick, may be leaning towards taking a quarterback at No. 3.
The Giants currently own two second round picks at 39 and 47. They are also in the No. 70 slot in the third round. Conversely, the Jets do not have a second round pick and after No. 10 aren’t up again until the third round (No. 72). Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix could eventually be successful starters, and one could be available for the Giants at 39. The Jets would have to move up into the high second round to have a chance at Nix or Penix.
There are other quarterbacks that could emerge, such as Tulane’s Michae Pratt, South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler, and Tennessee’s Joe Milton III, who may have the most arm talent of any quarterback in this year’s draft. But the odds of getting a franchise quarterback in the late rounds like Brock Purdy, the last pick (Round 7, No. 262) in the 2022 draft who led the San Francisco 49ers to this year’s Super Bowl, is almost zero.
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