Three quarterbacks will be drafted before the Giants pick at No. 12 in the first round.
- MICHAEL EISEN: Fiction -I'm going to go against popular sentiment and predict that one of the top three quarterbacks is going to do an Aaron Rodgers-like freefall in the first round and get selected after the Giants make their first choice.
- JOHN SCHMEELK: Fiction -It's happened three years in a row and six of the last seven seasons. Just a hunch the Giants will open outside the NFC East in 2014.I believe only two quarterbacks will go before the Giants at 12, Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel. I see both Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr going either at the end of the first round or at that the very beginning of Round Two. The quarterbacks are all talented, but there are surer bets in the top ten, making them risky selections, even for teams desperate for a franchise quarterback.
- DAN SALOMONE: Fact -To be honest, I'm not really sold on any of them to be the next great franchise quarterback. But I'm probably just spoiled by the Andrew Lucks and Russell Wilsons of today's NFL. With that said, the position is too valuable to pass up by teams in need of one, and unlike before, you can get over first-round misses with the new rookie salaries. There are enough teams ahead of the Giants that need quarterbacks.
Jason Pierre-Paul will record at least 10 sacks in 2014.
**MICHAEL EISEN: Fact -**JPP is healthy and motivated and the Giants need his pass rush skills more than ever with the departure of Justin Tuck. He's going to have a big season.
- JOHN SCHMEELK: Fiction -I would love to be optimistic and say "fact" here, especially since the Giants desperately need his sack production. I think he will get close to 10 but fall just short with nine. He has battled injuries for two straight years, which raises legitimate questions about whether he can stay healthy long term. He is on a contract year, and would help himself a lot in free agency with a huge bounceback year, but I think he comes up a little short of 10 sacks.
- DAN SALOMONE: Fiction -Like most, I believe he is going to have a bounce-back year, but I'm saying fiction more because I think people tend to underappreciate double-digit sack totals. That is a tough number to hit on a yearly basis. Heck, even Michael Strahan recorded back-to-back seasons of 10-plus sacks just three times. Again, "just." JPP will get close to it but finish right below.
Andrew Luck is the best quarterback the Giants will face this year.
- MICHAEL EISEN: Fiction -If we're judging by pure skill, Luck probably is the best. But I'll take Russell Wilson. He is a winner who does whatever needs to be done to lead the Seahawks to victory.
- JOHN SCHMEELK: Fiction -Andrew Luck might be the answer to this question in a couple of seasons but not quite yet. I still rank Tony Romo and Matt Ryan ahead of Andrew Luck in my rankings. Both threw for more touchdowns, yards and had higher completion percentages and quarterback ratings than Luck did last year. Luck has all the tools and could easily be better than both those quarterbacks by the start of 2015, but not quite yet.
- DAN SALOMONE: Fiction -He is probably the most competitive, though. While I think his ceiling will be higher than guys like Tony Romo, Matt Ryan, and Matthew Stafford, he's not there quite yet. I'll give the benefit of the doubt to the veterans for now.
The Giants will open the 2014 regular season against a division opponent.
- MICHAEL EISEN: Fiction -It's happened three years in a row and six of the last seven seasons. Just a hunch the Giants will open outside the NFC East in 2014.
- JOHN SCHMEELK: Fact -My prediction is the Giants will open at home against the Eagles to start the 2014 season. The Giants have started the season against the Cowboys and Redskins recently, and it feels like it is the Eagles' time to take a turn.
- DAN SALOMONE: Fiction -I'd like to see a little bit of a shakeup this year. As for the NFL, I don't know if they will agree with me or if the algorithms will allow it. I'm going with the Falcons. Why not?
