Daniel Jones uncorked a beautiful 50-yard pass that sailed toward a wide-open receiver and illustrated the often-knocked Giants rookie quarterback has plenty of arm strength.

The ball slipped through Bennie Fowler’s hands and landed with a thud during Thursday’s practice.

That’s also the sound of the face-palm the Giants will be doing if Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner’s concerns about Jones prove correct.

“I think he’s smart, I think he knows how to play this game,” Warner told a small group of reporters before taking his seat in the NFL Network analyst’s chair for practice, “but (what) I believe in this business is that you have to have a level of physicality, because there’s going to be times where you’re not on time with every throw, or when you’re falling back.”

The Giants drafted the 6-foot-5, 221-pound Jones with the No. 6 pick, which still is a great source of debate: Was it a reach with another chance to draft at No. 17? Was he in greater demand than suspected?

At some point, Jones will replace Eli Manning as the starter, but it won’t be in Week 1.

When the time comes, Jones will be challenged by defenses to prove he can make big-time downfield throws under pressure. His smarts and mobility might only take him so far — perhaps to a career like former 49ers, Chiefs and Redskins starter Alex Smith.

The Giants are counting on more, and coach Pat Shurmur has not held back in his early praise of Jones.

But ...

“Everybody has enough arm. Everybody can make all the throws,” Warner said. "The question is now: If I’m in your face and you have to make the throw this way (leaning back), or if I’m a second late and that window closes, can I make that throw?

“And there are some guys that can’t. There are some guys who have to play in that perfect world and they can be really good quarterbacks, but they have trouble elevating their teams when things aren’t great.”

The irony here is that “perfect-world” setup is one of the criticisms of the 38-year-old Manning, who made some of the most difficult throws in NFL playoff history earlier in his career during two road NFC Championship Games and Super Bowls. He elevated the Giants to two championships.

But, as the Giants have fallen on hard times with six seasons of no playoffs since 2012, the blame has gone to the offensive line, the tight ends, the rushing game and the defense in years past. Manning is out of excuses now with Jones waiting in the wings.

“That, to me, is the biggest question I have with Daniel: Can he be that guy that can carry a team with his right arm no matter what the situation," Warner said. “Because when you watched him in college, there were times when you wondered if he had that next-level talent from a physical standpoint. Doesn’t mean he can’t be great. It just means the margin of error shrinks a lot.”

Warner was the Giants quarterback when a rookie Manning took over in 2004. Even though Manning was the No. 1 overall pick and had a successful bloodline, there were games when it seemed he was totally overwhelmed.

Look how that turned out in the long run.

Warner’s NFL Network colleague, Shaun O’Hara, says Jones’ mechanics are a major advantage over other rookies.

“We all grow when we get to this level,” Warner said. “Trying to project what somebody did at the last level and how it’s going to translate? I always think the best players at this level are the ones that never stop growing. I’ve played with some great college players. They came to the NFL and never got better. Then you have guys like Tom Brady who seem to get better every year. That’s the bottom line for any college quarterback. You can’t be the same guy at this level.”

Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.