Opening statement:
Gettleman: It's a wonderful thing when need and value match. We are thrilled to get Daniel (Jones). He was up there with everybody else on our board in terms of value and he was just perfect for us. I really believe in this kid. I really believe he is going to be a really nice, quality quarterback for us, for our franchise. He understands what's in front of him. We've spoken to Eli (Manning) and talked to him and Daniel is coming in here to learn. Learn how to be a pro, learn how to be a professional quarterback. He's the right kid for us. He's just the right guy, he has the right head. He's a very mature kid. I have no doubt he is going to come in and do everything he can to prepare himself to follow Eli.
The second guy, we got me a hog mollie! Dexter Lawrence, he might have been the biggest player in the draft, I don't know. He's a quality run player and he's more than just a two-down run player. This kid can push the pocket and he can have an impact on the pass rush. That's why we took him at 17 and we are thrilled. He is a great kid. All three of these kids are great kids. We had Dexter in here and he can play the one, the three and the five. He's versatile, he's got hips, he can flip to rush the passer and we are thrilled to have him.
The last guy we traded up for we feel is the best cover corner in the draft, the kid from Georgia, Deandre Baker. We feel like we got three guys that are going to impact this franchise for a long time.
Shurmur: Yeah, I don't have anything other to add than Jones, for us, he's very accomplished, he's very smart, he's very talented and when we spoke to Eli, I told this to Eli a couple times already, it's not his job to teach the next quarterback that comes in here. It's his job to be the very best player he can be and then the quarterback that we bring in, it's his job to be smart enough to learn from Eli. And I think that's the scenario that we are presented with. So we are thrilled. Here's a guy that has played a lot of football, but he's still very young, he's tough, he's competitive and he really has all of the things we are looking for. Good decision making, he has a sense of timing, he is an accurate passer, he's athletic and mobile, which is important in today's game. So we are thrilled about him.
Dexter, I was with (Vikings DT) Linval Joseph, who all of you know, in Minnesota and he sort of reminded me of him. He's sneaky with the pass rush, but he's really good on first, second down and the run game stuff. Tremendous human being and he's a big guy and I think you win with big people
And then Dave did it, he got Deandre Baker. He's a cover corner. The thing that impressed me most on tape was how stinking competitive he is. He's very confident and he's very competitive and I think when he's faced with a challenge of a good wide out, he's going to accept the challenge. Again, as Dave mentioned, the fact that our board met with some of the needs and some of the things that we wanted to answer, we were fortunate enough to get those three players. So we are thrilled to have them and get them in here as quickly as we can and get them going.
Q: Was Daniel Jones your best player available at 6? Did you have a higher grade on him than Josh Allen?
Gettleman: First of all, it is legal for guys to have the same grade. So when we set up our horizontal, they were on the same line.
Q: At what point did you realize he was your guy?
Gettleman: For me, it's been a while. It's been a while, to be frank with you.
Q: What stuck out to you?
Gettleman: I loved him on film. I absolutely loved him. I loved everything about him. And then I went to the Senior Bowl and I watched him that week and I (had) decided to stay for the game. During the season, I had gone to see Dwayne (Haskins) at Ohio State, I had seen Kyler (Murray) and Will (Grier) play each other on that Friday night game (on) Thanksgiving weekend in West Virginia, so I had seen those two play each other. I saw Dwayne play in the Big (10) championship game in Indianapolis, so I've seen those three guys play and to me it's really important to see quarterbacks play. Watching them on tape is one thing, seeing them in the environment is definitely, I think, very important. Saw Drew (Lock), Daniel, Jarrett Stidham, (Gardner) Minshew, (Trace) McSorley, all of these guys were at the Senior Bowl, so I decided to stay. I made up my mind that I was staying for the game and, frankly, he walked out there and I saw a professional quarterback after the three series that I watched, I saw a professional quarterback. I was in full bloom love.
Q: How much of your decision was Daniel Jones the quarterback on the field versus Daniel Jones, the person he is off the field?
Gettleman: That's a nice piece. Obviously, (Duke Head Football Coach David) Cutcliffe, he's a hell of a coach. He didn't fall off a turnip truck yesterday. The kid has been well trained. The huge part of this, and I've said it before, a big part of this is his make-up. Every single kid that was taken in the first round has had very little adversity. So, we get into it and we talk about this when we have our meetings – and the scouts and the area guys will go out, the regional guys are out, (Director of College Scouting) Chris Pettit is out, and we talk about what kind of adversity has this kid ever had. That's what you want to know, because what kind of adversity and how they're going to react, which is huge – and very honestly, how they're going to react to you guys. Not because you're meanies, because some of you are nice, but really because of the volume – it's the volume that's different. Now, that's a big part of it. That's like a bonus here. This kid is really talented, a really talented football player, and the head makes him more better.
Q: Forgetting about the head for a second, what about his talent level did you like more than the other quarterback prospects?
Gettleman: I just thought his pocket presence and his poise were really important to me. I've been saying it for a long time: if you can't consistently make plays from the pocket, you're not going to make it in the NFL. You'll be just another guy. You look at Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks, they consistently make plays from the pocket. That's what this kid can do, and he is not by any stretch of the imagination an average athlete. He's a really good athlete. This kid can extend, make plays with his feet, buy time in the pocket. He's got feel. He really has all the things you're looking for.
Q: Does he remind you of Eli as a player? Or, how is he different?
Gettleman: That's hard for me because very honestly, I didn't scout Eli in college. I watched film of Eli. After we took him, I thought it would be a nice idea to watch some film. Back then, I was a pro (personnel) guy. Similar in that they both were playing, at that time, Eli at Ole Miss at that time, both playing in difficult conferences with maybe fewer players around them. Eli had a wide receiver that probably ran a 4.65 (40 yd. dash), and he had a little scat-back running back and an okay offensive line. Daniel had about the same thing.
Q: Do you think you could've gotten Jones at No. 17?
Gettleman: You never know.
Q: And you weren't willing to risk it?
Gettleman: I was not willing to risk it.
Q: Is the goal for Eli to start 16 games next season and for Daniel to sit 16 games next season?
Gettleman: The goal is for Eli to be our quarterback, yes.
Shurmur: I told Eli when we visited, it's your job to win games and keep this guy off the field.
Q: It's a challenge almost.
Shurmur: Well, not necessarily. I don't think you need to challenge him that way. I wouldn't phrase it that way, but that's the kind of things you talk about when you put quarterbacks together.
Q: When did you know Daniel was the right guy for this organization? Did you have a similar process as Dave?
Shurmur: Yeah, I went through the process. I probably spent more time even this year than last year on the quarterbacks – from watching them play, to interviewing them, all multiple times, to doing all the research on them, because I think it's important to put these quarterbacks through the full process. We took a trip down to Duke and visited with Coach Cutcliffe, and he kind of connected some of the things, because there were some comparisons to Eli, and I'm not sure I would share them. How is he similar? How is he different? I knew by watching him play that he was tough. That's very high on the spectrum for me, is toughness, and Daniel has that. As we went through it, when you watch guys throw – and there's some very talented throwers, very talented, very accomplished quarterbacks in this year's draft. It's quick that you can fall in love with them at each exposure, but by the end of it, we really felt like he was our guy, and I felt the same as Dave.
Shurmur: Yeah, but we had private meetings with all the quarterbacks. We had private meetings with them at the Senior Bowl. So, we had many exposures with all the quarterbacks in question, but yeah, I think when you're with them privately, you get a feel for who they are. I think it's really important to sort through how they're wired above the neck. It's so important for a quarterback. That's why all these exposures are very important.
Q: Can you talk about where (CB) Deandre Baker is going to fit into the equation? You have (CB Janoris Jenkins) Jackrabbit, you have (CB) Sam Beal, who I believe you said if he was coming out this year, he'd have a second-round grade. Where do you anticipate he can fit in?
Gettleman: He's going to walk on, he's going to compete for a starting job.
Q: Is he a slot cornerback? Can he play the nickel?
Gettleman: He's really an outside guy, but he can play inside. We see him as an outside guy.
Q: When you look at Daniel Jones' production, his production is not there. Is that a product of him playing at Duke, or is there something about the numbers that says something about him?
Shurmur: For me, I think when you watch him play, you can't just look at the raw numbers and say this guy can do it or can't do it? There's reasons why a ball is complete or incomplete. I really wouldn't share with you why that is. I thought he was very productive, I thought he was competitive and gritty, and he helped his team win football games. It's not a fair comparison sometimes, so you have to watch the player compete and work with what he has. I thought he did a heck of a job leading the Duke football team.
Q: When did you talk with Eli and what is his reaction?
Shurmur: I've spoken to Eli throughout this process.
Q: When did you tell him that you were going to draft Daniel?
Shurmur: As it was happening. I spoke to Daniel and Dave called Eli. All along, we've spoken to Eli about how we are evaluating quarterbacks in this year's draft, and there is a decent chance there may be a new guy here. It doesn't bother Eli.
Q: Dave what do you think his reaction was?
Gettleman: He was fine. I told him it's your job, let's go.
Q: If Eli thinks he can play multiple seasons, does this end that possibility here?
Gettleman: Absolutely not. Maybe we are going to the Green Bay model, where Rodgers sat for three years. Who knows? It's one of the deals where it doesn't make a difference what position it is, you can never have too many good players at one position.
Q: Are you saying you drafted a quarterback number 6 and he might sit for 3 years?
Gettleman: Who knows? I may go out there in my car and get hit. You don't know. We drafted a quarterback that we believe is a franchise quarterback. We feel he's a franchise quarterback.
Q: If Eli plays 3 more years, wouldn't you take somebody at 6 to help Eli do that?
Gettleman: It's the same question, 'why didn't you wait until 17?' We don't know. Life's too short, you don't know how this is going to work. It's people drafting defensive tackles when they already have two stud starters, why are you doing that? It's where value fits and meets the draft pick.
Q: Have you considered extending Eli so he is not a lame duck quarterback?
Gettleman: That's a hypothetical.
Q: Were you as enamored as early with Daniel Jones as Dave was?
Shurmur: I tried to slow my roll with all the quarterbacks. My first exposure to all of them was their tape. With the way technology is you can watch every one of their throws or any of their actions. As I got to know them, I wanted to go slow on them. I wanted to be deliberate. John Mara and Dave Gettleman said they wanted a consensus on this. I wanted to give them an educated answer as to who I thought was going to be our guy. I was very deliberate about it because this was going to be a big draft pick. We drafted a guy that we think can start and be a starter for a very long time, and when he gets on the field, we will see.
Q: Just curious of how serious the discussions with Arizona were about trading for (Cardinals QB) Josh Rosen?
Gettleman: There was no discussion. I admitted I had reached out and told them if things happen, then we might have an interest. That's it.
Q: Do you see Lawrence as a rotation with (DT B.J.) Hill and (DT Dalvin) Tomlinson? Or, do you see a guy that can play with all three of those guys across the defensive line?
Gettleman: We can play them all three across at the same time.
Q: When you traded (DT Damon Harrison) Snacks, you moved Tomlinson to the nose because you said that was the spot he was best-suited for…
Shurmur: That was the unintended consequence of that, but I would say this, when we play base defense, you have a five-technique, a three-technique and a one-technique, and we can certainly play all three of those guys. Then when we get into our even fronts, certainly there will a little bit of a rotation there, I think, which is good. Again, we can't have too many good quarterbacks. You can't have too many good corners, and when it comes to defensive linemen, you can't have too many good front people. They've all got to compete. We're really thrilled about him. If you haven't been around him, this is a big human being. He moves well, he's sneaky quick, and I think he's going to be a really good addition to our front.
Q: He's 345 pounds and has a screw in his foot. Did that play into the process at all?
Gettleman: Medically, he's cleared.
Q: He's only had four sacks in the past two years.
Gettleman: He was playing on a bad foot.
Q: So you attribute it to that?
Gettleman: Here's what I want you to understand. This is where numbers don't tell all the story. Defensive tackles can affect the pass rush if they get consistent inside push. How many times have you guys watched a game, and the ends come screaming off the corner, and the quarterback steps up, and there's nobody there. You get inside pass rush, those ends come screaming off the corner, they're going to affect it, and if the guy is getting push, the quarterback is going to step up and Dexter will give him a kiss.
Q: But who are the ends screaming off the corner?
Gettleman: Rome wasn't built in a day. Oh and by the way, (LB) Lorenzo Carter had 5.5 sacks last year.
Q: But the Giants two most recent Super Bowl teams had around 50 sacks.
Gettleman: I was with them.
Q: But you know both of those teams really affected the quarterback.
Gettleman: Rome wasn't built in a day, it wasn't built in a day. This takes time.
Q: Daniel Jones was booed by Giants fans at MetLife Stadium tonight. What would you tell those fans who are angry and upset that you picked Daniel Jones?
Gettleman: In time, you'll be very pleased.
