Reporter addresses if Giants will draft Daniel Jones replacement

Add Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com to the growing list of reporters and NFL insiders unconvinced the New York Giants will definitely spend a high draft pick on a replacement for injured quarterback Daniel Jones next spring. 

"[Giants general manager Joe Schoen] has lots of roster holes to address other than quarterback — like offensive line, wide receiver, and edge rusher," Slater explained in a piece published Thursday. "So if he forces a quarterback pick at, say, No. 7, and that player winds up being a bust, Schoen could find himself out of a job sooner rather than later. Which is why Schoen’s big-swing quarterback addition in the draft might just wait until 2025."

Whispers are growing louder claiming that Schoen and company still have faith in Jones even though the 26-year-old played poorly before he suffered a season-ending torn ACL on Nov. 5. Schoen spoke with media members this past Monday and said he expects Jones to be New York's QB1 when healthy, but the executive didn't completely rule out using a 2024 first-round choice on a signal-caller.

"He’s not going to force a quarterback pick near the top of round one, especially since he has so many other issues to address," Slater said about Schoen. "Nor should he force it. And the same goes for taking a quarterback with either of those round-two picks since round two (and round three, for that matter) is still a premium round in the draft."

The Giants reportedly can escape the four-year contract Jones signed this past March as soon as after next season, but they're likely stuck with him through the start of the 2024 campaign. New York also has undrafted rookie and New Jersey native Tommy DeVito playing well enough this fall to potentially earn a roster spot beyond Week 18, especially if he guides the Giants to enough wins over their final five games to drop them out of the top-five places of next year's draft order. 

Slater suggested Schoen could wait until the fourth round of the 2024 draft to take a quarterback. That would allow Jones to rehab throughout the spring and summer months without having to worry about his job security, but it would also infuriate fans who currently are dreaming about the club landing either USC Trojans star Caleb Williams or Drake Maye of the North Carolina Tar Heels.