Time will if what the Giants did Thursday night was prescient or pathetic. For now, the selection of quarterback Daniel Jones with the No. 6-overall pick in the NFL draft goes down as one of the greatest gambles this franchise has undertaken, and one of the least-popular draft-day moves in team history.

In the near future, perhaps Jones replaces Eli Manning and takes his place as the franchise quarterback for a decade. Time will tell. In the here and now, this feels like a reach, even though general manager Dave Gettleman was adamant he did not betray his draft board.

“He was just perfect for us,’’ Gettleman said. “We really believe in this kid and really believe he is going to be a real quality quarterback for our franchise.

“He’s the right kid for us.’’

Gettleman said the Giants had Jones ranked on the same line as Josh Allen, the pass rusher from Kentucky available when the Giants were on the board. The Giants passed on Allen and the Jaguars with the very next pick scooped him up.

“We’re thrilled,’’ coach Pat Shurmur said. “The guy has played a lot of football but he’s still very young. He’s tough, he’s competitive and he really has all the things we’re looking for. He’s got a sense of timing, accurate passer, he’s athletic and mobile, which is important in today’s game.’’

The Giants were serious about finding an eventual successor to Manning, who is 38 years old and entering the final year on his contract. Gettleman spoke often about finding a young quarterback to sit and learn “at the feet’’ of Manning this season.

“I think it’s a tremendous opportunity to learn for a young quarterback,’’ Jones said. “He is a guy that’s had a whole lot of success in the NFL and there is a reason for that. I’m looking to understand that and do my best to learn as much as I can from him while he’s in New York.

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“I’m going to be myself and not try to be Eli or be anything but myself. I think staying confident in that and staying confident in who I am is what’s going to be key to that process.’’

Jones knows Manning from time spent together when Manning went to Duke to work out with Giants receivers. Jones also twice attended the Manning Passing Camp. That the Giants had Jones so highly rated on their draft board will come as a shock to many, with Dwayne Haskins of Ohio State and Drew Lock of Missouri still available. Having a conviction on a quarterback is admirable, but could the Giants have taken Jones with their second pick in the first round, at No. 17?

“You never know and I was not willing to risk it,’’ Gettleman said.

It is almost as if the Giants searched for the closest quarterback they could find to Manning. Jones is something of a Manning clone, except coming into the NFL he is not viewed anywhere close to the top-end prospect Manning was in 2004. Jones looks a bit like Manning and was coached at Duke by David Cutcliffe, Manning’s coach at Ole Miss and big brother Peyton Manning’s position coach at Tennessee.

“He’s got a lot of the same mannerisms as Eli,’’ an NFL source and talent evaluator who specializes in quarterbacks told The Post. “After he throws he has the shoulder shrug. Eli will throw it and then kind of shrug his shoulder.’’

The talent evaluator said he liked Jones as a prospect. Enough to take him at No. 6?

“I don’t believe so, no,’’ he said.

Jones is big (6-foot-5) and sturdy at 220 pounds but many scouts question his arm talent. He is more athletic than Manning but his statistics at Duke — playing alongside subpar talent — were unimpressive. As a three-year starter, he finished his career completing 59.9 percent of his passes, with 52 touchdown passes and 29 interceptions. In 2018, Jones completed 60.5 percent of his passes, with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

“I think physically, I can make every throw on the field,’’ Jones said. “My accuracy is certainly I feel a strength of mine, and I think I have the athleticism to extend plays and play outside the pocket if I need to.’’

The Giants knew Jones was their guy for quite some time. Gettleman said he “loved him on film’’ and was won over completely after watching Jones win the MVP award in the Senior Bowl.

“Frankly he walked out there and I saw a professional quarterback,” Gettleman said. “That’s when I was in full-blown love.’’