The Giants did what just about every single analyst and fan alike wanted them to do. They took a quarterback with the sixth pick, not waiting until 17, finally taking a player who’s supposed to be the future face of the franchise. So, why is everyone upset?

It’s because it wasn’t Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins. A fairly dumb reason, right? I’ll admit I was on board for the Giants to take Haskins, but that article was, in essence, about the Giants getting their QB of the future. With Jones, it was still the right position, the right pick, but in the public’s eyes, the wrong player. This is where the issue lies. 99% of football fans are bashing this pick. Among that 99%, I’d say 80-90% of them haven’t seen a Duke football game over the past three years. We’re strictly relying on what scouts and analysts are saying. If every scout were right, we’d never have the Ryan Leafs or Tom Bradys of the world.

via Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports

Now, Jones’ tape isn’t overwhelmingly great, nor is he a perfect prospect, but there are traits on display every game that make him a draftable NFL player; traits that his peers, Haskins, Murray, and Lock, all share.

Let’s take a look at some plays against Clemson, the best defense Jones went up against in 2018. If you look at the box score, you’ll see 43 pass attempts for just 158 yards, a very concerning stat. The film also shows an excessive amount of check-downs. Jones was often running for his life at Duke. Their offensive line was mediocre, and Jones rarely had time to push the ball downfield. I wouldn’t even consider this play as going “downfield,” but it was literally one of his longest pass attempts of the game.

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You see a problem. Down one with a chance to move the ball over midfield, Duke wideout T.J. Rahming fails to come up with the football. I’m sure you’ve all heard of T.J. Rahming, as you’ve watched plenty of Duke football this past season…

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Here’s another, this time down eight. Jones delivers a very similar strike right into the hands of WR Chris Taylor. Again, I know you’re all familiar with Taylor…

Now, I know what you’re saying to these clips. “Oh, you only picked out the bad plays.” And, you’d be wrong. These were probably two of the top three throws that Jones made this game. As I said, it wasn’t pretty. But, these are plays (among many things) that Jones isn’t getting credit for.

In this film, you’ll plenty of bad things: balls swatted at the line, a failure to step through the pocket, and overthrows along the sideline. However, there’s plenty of good as well. Jones never turns the ball over despite being under pressure all game. He gets through his progression rather quickly, something that’ll help in NY. He’s not afraid to run, even though he’s already been pegged as an un-athletic QB by the media. And, last, even though he took an absolute beating in this game, he continued to fire accurate short passes while taking hits. These are a lot of things that now Redskin, Dwayne Haskins, did as well.

via Jacob Kupferman

So bash Giants GM Dave Gettleman if you want. Keep saying that they could’ve got Jones at 17 when you have no idea. Continue the notion that Jones is destined to be a bust before he even steps on the field. He might be, but that’s beyond the point. What you can’t do, though, is change your mind on Jones if you’ve already concluded that he’s going to fail. By determining his future before he’s played a down, you’ve lost that privilege.

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