NFL

Giants pick Syracuse QB Nassib to back up Eli

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The voice on the other end of the phone, from West Chester, Pa., sounded a bit dazed and confused, with good reason. Nothing about the NFL Draft went down the way Ryan Nassib had anticipated. No wonder it seemed as if he had just awakened from one helluva strange dream.

“I’m a little bit surprised how long I lasted,’’ Nassib said yesterday afternoon. “Even more surprised about the Giants.’’

Nassib, the former Syracuse quarterback, dropped all the way to the fourth round, with perhaps the most unlikely team of all anxiously monitoring the fall. The Giants traded up six spots in the fourth round and the object of their desire turned out to be a shocker because Nassib is not about to take over for Eli Manning any time soon — or most likely ever.

For a few years the Giants have wanted to take a young quarterback and develop him, either for the future or as an asset they would be able to trade at a later date. The Giants sent their sixth-round pick (187th overall) to the Cardinals. The Giants originally owned the 116th pick and moved up to No. 110.

“If he doesn’t ever play, that would be great,’’ general manager Jerry Reese said of Nassib.

“Is he the most needed person? No,’’ said Marc Ross, the Giants director of college scouting. “But if something happens to the guy who’s starting he becomes the highest priority in the draft.’’

GIANTS DRAFT SELECTIONS

Reese said he feels Manning, 32, is in the prime of his career (he’s started 135 consecutive regular-season and 11 postseason games) but Nassib’s value was too high to pass up. The Giants had him ranked as a solid second-round pick and never expected him to be on the board in the fourth. Nassib was the fifth quarterback selected, after E.J Manuel, Geno Smith, Mike Glennon and Matt Barkley.

Later in the draft, the Giants took huge safety Cooper Taylor out of Richmond, Ohio guard Eric Herman and running back Michael Cox of UMass, a transfer from Michigan. Much to the chagrin of their fans, the Giants did not take a linebacker with any of their seven picks.

(The following players will sign as undrafted free agents, according to their Twitter accounts: Safety Alonso Tweedy (Virginia Tech), LB Etienne Sabino (Ohio State), LB Charles Dieusel (Mount Union), CB Charles James (Charleston) and TE Chase Clement ( LSU).)

The addition of Nassib affects backup David Carr far more than it does Manning. Carr, 33, has been the Giants backup in four of the past five seasons. He is a popular presence in the locker room and a valuable scout-team player, often praised for his ability to mimic opposing quarterbacks for the Giants defense. Now his job is seriously on the line.

“We think he can be an excellent backup and a starter in time,’’ Ross said of Nassib. “If not here, then somewhere else.’’

Tom Coughlin prefers to keep only two quarterbacks on the roster, and Reese said: “There’s going to be competition for the No. 2 spot, that’s for sure.’’

Coughlin said he didn’t see any need to call Manning after trading up to get Nassib.

“He knows he’s our guy,’’ Coughlin said. “He’s our quarterback. He knows he’ll be that for a long, long time.’’

Asked if he could envision Nassib starting for the Giants, Coughlin said: “Maybe 10 years from now. I like the guy we got playing.’’

Nassib started 38 games at Syracuse. As a senior, he threw for 28 touchdowns and 3,749 yards. He already has graduated with a double degree in finance and accounting.

The Eagles traded up to secure the first pick in the fourth round to get Barkley, the USC quarterback. Reese said the Giants had Nassib rated higher than Barkley, but after the Giants saw the Eagles’ move they knew they couldn’t wait if they wanted Nassib. They made a few calls and found a trade partner in the Cardinals.

“To be honest with you, I blacked out a little bit [when Coughlin called],” Nassib said. “I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Going into the third day you can image how strenuous it can be on a player, especially when my expectations were a bit higher. … I’m extremely relieved that I am going to one of the best organizations in the league. And I’m going to be playing behind an elite quarterback.’’