Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Washington and the Denver Broncos reportedly would have taken Duke quarterback Daniel Jones before the New York Giants selected at No. 17 overall during Thursday's NFL draft, according Ralph Vacchiano of SNY:

The Giants took some heat for selecting Jones at No. 6 overall, though general manager Dave Gettleman maintained he didn't believe Jones would have fallen to them 11 picks later with their second selection in the first round.

"I know for a fact there were two teams who would have taken [Jones] before 17..." Gettleman told reporters. "It wasn't easy for me to pass up Josh Allen. It was very, very difficult. But I think that much of Daniel Jones."

Many draft pundits and NFL analysts believed the Giants' selection was a reach:

Gettleman also spent the offseason maintaining that Eli Manning was the team's starting quarterback—and could be long term.

"Maybe we're going to be the Green Bay model, where [Aaron] Rodgers sat for three years. Who knows?" Gettleman said regarding Manning and Jones' future. "You can never have too many good players at one position."

But if the Giants are still that committed to Manning, why go with Jones rather than a player who could help in the short term?

"We drafted a quarterback that we believe is a franchise quarterback," Gettleman added. "That's really the long and the short of it."

That selection—alongside passing on quarterback Sam Darnold in last year's draft to pick running back Saquon Barkley—will be a defining moment of Gettleman's tenure as general manager.

If Jones busts, nobody will care that Washington or Denver might have taken him before the Giants were on the board again at No. 17. They'll only care that the Giants failed to find a competent replacement for Manning in two straight drafts.

In that regard, the pressure is on Jones to deliver.