How do you like Daniel Jones now? Back in April and May, most agreed that the Giants had blown it by using the 6th pick of the draft on a quarterback who went 17-19 as a starter at Duke. Now, there’s more discussion about how soon should they elevated him above Eli Manning.
The vast majority of observers were shocked Jones was selected before Dwayne Haskins, who lasted until the middle of the round before Washington stopped his slide. Haskins has generally struggled thus far.
Jones, meanwhile, has looked awfully confident and composed. He’s completed 29 of 34 passes for 416 yards, with 2 TDs and no interceptions. That’s 85 percent passing, and with a passer rating of 137.3.
In the last 10 years, 29quarterbacks have been selected in the first round. For preseason stats, Jones ranks No. 1 in every category – completion percentage, passer rating, yards per attempt and yards per completion.
This does not, of course, guarantee he’ll have a great career. If you look at the historical numbers, the preseason has actually been more of a reverse barometer. In the chart below, I’ve tagged what I subjectively believe to be the seven best first-round quarterbacks of the last 10 years with black dots. Only eight quarterbacks have finished with a passer rating under 70 in their first preseason, and four of those good rookie quarterbacks were down in that group.
Cam Newton is the poster child of that group. He completed only 42 percent of his passes in the preseason as a rookie, then went out and passed for over 400 yards in both of his first two games. The preseason ain’t the same as the real games.
But Jones has gotten my attention. If I were walking into a dynasty draft, I would select him before Haskins (but after Kyler Murray).
| FIRST-ROUND QUARTERBACKS IN THE PRESEASON | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Pct | Yards | TD | Int | Rating |
| 2019 | Daniel Jones, NYG | 85% | 416 | 2 | 0 | 137.3 |
| 2013 | EJ Manuel, Buff. | 79% | 199 | 2 | 0 | 112.0 |
| 2014 | Teddy Bridgewater, Minn. | 61% | 283 | 5 | 0 | 111.2 |
| 2014 | Blake Bortles, Jac. | 63% | 521 | 2 | 0 | 110.0 |
| 2017 | • Patrick Mahomes, K.C. | 63% | 390 | 4 | 0 | 109.3 |
| 2017 | Mitchell Trubisky, Chi. | 68% | 364 | 3 | 0 | 106.2 |
| 2012 | Robert Griffin III, Wash. | 65% | 193 | 2 | 0 | 103.3 |
| 2015 | Marcus Mariota, Tenn. | 70% | 326 | 1 | 1 | 102.9 |
| 2010 | Sam Bradford, St.L. | 60% | 338 | 3 | 0 | 95.9 |
| 2012 | • Andrew Luck, Ind. | 62% | 522 | 3 | 2 | 89.3 |
| 2011 | Jake Locker, Tenn. | 65% | 316 | 2 | 1 | 88.5 |
| 2018 | • Baker Mayfield, Clev. | 57% | 501 | 2 | 1 | 88.2 |
| 2016 | Paxton Lynch, Den. | 59% | 458 | 4 | 2 | 86.5 |
| 2018 | Sam Darnold, NYJ | 64% | 244 | 2 | 1 | 83.9 |
| 2018 | Josh Allen, Buff. | 55% | 210 | 2 | 0 | 82.6 |
| 2018 | Josh Rosen, Ariz. | 55% | 148 | 1 | 0 | 80.8 |
| 2011 | Christian Ponder, Minn. | 55% | 290 | 1 | 0 | 79.5 |
| 2019 | Kyler Murray, Ariz. | 64% | 193 | 0 | 0 | 77.7 |
| 2018 | Lamar Jackson, Balt. | 50% | 408 | 3 | 1 | 77.3 |
| 2014 | Johnny Manziel, Clev. | 51% | 296 | 2 | 0 | 76.7 |
| 2019 | Dwayne Haskins, Wash. | 55% | 409 | 2 | 2 | 74.6 |
| 2017 | • Deshaun Watson, Hou. | 52% | 397 | 0 | 1 | 67.3 |
| 2012 | Ryan Tannehill, Mia. | 53% | 414 | 1 | 1 | 66.9 |
| 2011 | • Cam Newton, Car. | 42% | 300 | 1 | 0 | 64.9 |
| 2011 | Blaine Gabbert, Jac. | 50% | 365 | 1 | 1 | 64.3 |
| 2012 | Brandon Weeden, Clev. | 49% | 297 | 0 | 1 | 59.7 |
| 2016 | • Jared Goff, LAR | 45% | 232 | 2 | 2 | 55.8 |
| 2015 | Jameis Winston, T.B. | 49% | 311 | 0 | 2 | 52.7 |
| 2016 | • Carson Wentz, Phil. | 50% | 89 | 0 | 1 | 41.8 |
—Ian Allan