All eyes are going to be on Mizzou football’s own Drew Lock come draft weekend. The Missouri quarterback is going to be a first round pick and the most recent mock conducted by NFL.com has him landing with the New York Giants.
One of the quarterback-needy teams who hasn’t been linked to Drew Lock much this offseason has been the New York Giants. The team recently traded their best wide receiver and appear to be content having Eli Manning as their starter for another year. Could this be where the Missouri Tigers quarterback ends up?
Peter Schrager of NFL.com published his most recent mock draft and does indeed think Lock will be a member of the New York Giants. Schrager writes,
"There will be WFAN hysteria and message-board debates about this pick leading right up until the card is turned in. I do think the Giants will go quarterback, but not the guy everyone has pegged to them. Lock wowed folks at the Senior Bowl, has a ton of moxie and can rip it. Make no mistake: The fans may not agree with the choice. But I see Lock as a Giants quarterback before Dwayne Haskins. The “Kansas City model” plays out, and it’s Eli passing the torch to the former Missouri Tiger, not the Ohio State Buckeye."
Schrager isn’t lying. This would be an unexpected pick, as most mocks that have the Giants going with a quarterback in round one have them selecting Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins. That does appear to be the better choice, as Haskins fits the Giants quarterback mold better, but Lock could be a nice pick for the G-Men as well.
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As Schrager mentioned, the Giants could potentially go with the same route the Kansas City Chiefs went with in 2017. After they drafted Patrick Mahomes in round one, they let him patrol the sidelines and backup Alex Smith. Smith was a great mentor for Mahomes and helped him to the point where he was able to take over in 2018.
If the Giants do a similar strategy with Eli Manning coaching up Drew Lock, this could be a nice pick. Lock is a big quarterback and has the ability to flourish in the pros, but he has to go to the right team.
The Giants have looked like a mess these past few years (trading their best wide receiver was a puzzling move), but don’t get it twisted – This is a proud franchise that, when given the tools to succeed – can win titles.
Most mock drafts have Drew Lock being drafted by the Broncos, Dolphins, or Redskins, so seeing him go sixth overall would be a bit stunning. Missouri fans will pull for the guy wherever he ends up though and the Giants could be a nice destination for the Mizzou football signal caller.