The Giants traded up six spots in the fourth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday and the player they selected – the object of their desires – turned out to be a shocker. The Giants selected Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib, who is not about to take over for Eli Manning any time soon.
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. Still, trading up to get Nassib is a stunner, as the Giants sent their sixth-round pick (187th overall) to the Cardinals. The Giants originally owned the 116th overall pick in and moved up to No. 110.
“If he doesn’t ever play that would be great,’’ general manager Jerry Reese said. “That’s a good problem to have.’’
Reese said he feels Manning, 32, is in the prime of his career (he’s started 135 consecutive regular-season games and 11 post-season games) but that 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 still be on the board in the fourth round. Nassib was the fifth quarterback selected, after E.J Manuel, Geno Smith, Mike Glennon and Matt Barkley.
“I’m a little bit surprised at how long I lasted,’’ Nassib said from his home in West Chester, Pa. “Everyone was just hyping me up, I guess. But I was even more surprised by the Giants.’’
Nassib said “I always thought that I was a first round talent’’ but clearly the rest of the NFL decision-makers did not agree with that assessment. He was passed over in the second round by Doug Marrone, his former coach at Syracuse and now the head coach with the Bills. Marrone opted to take Manuel out of Florida State.
“I thought the situation with Buffalo was going to go a little bit different, but to be honest with you, I couldn’t be happier where I am now,’’ Nassib said. “I won’t have to step in right away and play. It is a place where I can sit behind an elite quarterback and learn from him and just keep developing and just be ready to play if, God forbid, anything were happen.’’
This pick impacts David Carr far more than Manning. Carr, 33, has been the backup in four of the last five seasons and was re-signed this off-season as a free agent. A former No. 1 overall pick (in the 2002 NFL Draft), Carr is a popular presence in the locker room and a valuable scout-team player, often praised for his ability to mimic opposing quarterbacks to give the defense a good look.
Tom Coughlin prefers to keep only two quarterbacks on the roster and Reese said “There’s gonna be competition for the No. 2 spot, that’s for sure.’’
As for the roster, Reese said: “We used to keep three quarterbacks all the time.’’
Nassib started 38 games at Syracuse and holds the school career and single-season record for passing yards. As a senior, he threw for 28 touchdowns and 3,749 yards. He’s also a smart guy, having already 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 the Giants saw that move they knew they couldn’t wait if they wanted to get Nassib. They made a few calls and found a trade partner with the Cardinals.
“We have Eli in the prime of his career and you actually hope this quarterback (Nassib) never plays,’’ Reese said. “We hope Eli plays for a long, long time.’’
Finally knowing where he was going to start his NFL career, Nassib said, “I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.’’ The wait was not easy on him.
“Going into the third day you can image how strenuous it can be on a player; especially when my expectations were a bit higher,’’ Nassib said. 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.’’