Scout's Take: Assessing Giants starting quarterback Daniel Jones

Former NFL scout Matt Williamson writes about the league from an X's and O's perspective. 

Rookie Daniel Jones was handed the reins of the Giants' offense on Tuesday, effectively ending the Eli Manning era. The timing is right. The Giants are 0-2 and were outscored by a combined 32 points against Dallas and Buffalo. New York plays at Tampa Bay in Week 3 and hosts Washington in Week 4. Those games might be winnable, but this is a bad team on both sides of the ball. Here's my scouting report on Jones:

1. Tools

Let's get this out of the way first: Jones, who didn't quite complete 60 percent of his passes in three seasons as a starter at Duke, certainly would not have been my selection with the sixth overall selection in the 2019 draft. That was way too early. That being said, Jones did surprise me with high-level play in the preseason (29-for-34, 416 yards, 85.3% completion percentage) . He has a lot of skills to work with. Jones stands 6-foot-5 with a good frame for a quarterback and has potential to gradually add more bulk and overall strength. He is a good athlete, but he must develop his lower body. He throws well on the move and can be a dangerous runner, but he's certainly no Dak Prescott. Jones changes directions fluidly, a rare skill, and his basketball background shows up on the football field from an athletic standpoint. His athletic tools are obvious, but they are not developed. This is most obvious when Jones looks to escape pressure and extend plays. He often looks awkward doing it.

2. Work ethic and pedigree

Apparently the Giants were enamored with Jones because of his background with Duke coach David Cutcliffe, who has a long history with the Manning family. Clearly the team got great reports about Jones’ work ethic and overall character from a trusted source. Judging by his preseason, it is clear that Jones is putting the work in. A three-year starter at Duke, Jones is considered an excellent leader and is respected by his teammates. His toughness on the field is obvious. Jones comes into his new starting job with plenty of college experience -- he threw nearly 1,300 passes at Duke -- but his game-management skills are not at an advanced level. Jones comes across as a mediocre "processor" --- his real test in that department will come in Week 3 against an attacking Bucs defense under new coordinator Todd Bowles.

3. He doesn’t have a giant arm

You would think by looking at Jones that he would have a cannon. But the reality is that his arm strength is much closer to average for a starting quarterback. He has a smooth release and has obviously taken to coaching. Jones shows refined throwing mechanics and gets the most he can out of what he has been given in terms of velocity. That is good and bad. Of course having top-notch mechanics is a good thing, but Jones might have hit his ceiling in terms of his ability to deliver the football. His accuracy noticeably dips on deeper passes. His footwork is inconsistent, especially on his dropbacks, and that leads to missed throws. So keeping him in the shotgun early might be best for his comfort and development.

He's a risk taker

Fact: Jones’ receivers gave him little help at Duke. But there are a lot of reckless throws from him on tape, in college more so than in the preseason. Even without the huge arm, he often throws into extremely tight windows, which can lead to interceptions. This problem was exacerbated by Jones' penchant for holding the ball a tick too long. Jones doesn’t protect the ball well in the pocket or as a runner, a big flaw, especially against teams with strong pass rushes.

Bonus: Where does this leave the Giants in 2019?

Not in a good place. This is a bad, bad, bad team. The defense, especially at cornerback, hasn’t improved, although it looks good on paper. Perhaps New York’s young defenders will take their game up several notches as the season progresses. On offense, tight end Evan Engram (17 catches for 164 yards in two games) and especially running back Saquon Barkley (227 yards rushing) are great, but this team is far too reliant on them. New York desperately needs a third weapon -- maybe Sterling Shepard or Golden Tate can provide that relief. Engram, Barkley, Shepard and Tate are all “Daniel Jones-friendly” targets in the short and intermediate areas of the field. In Week 3, though, Jones won't have Tate (suspension), and Shepard and wideout Cody Latimer (both in the concussion protocol) could be out, too. That's not an ideal situation to launch your rookie QB.

Conclusion: Manning absolutely needed to be benched. He simply can’t do it anymore. But 2019 will be a difficult learning season. This looks like a four- or five-win team.