The Giants did not fall in love with any of the quarterbacks in this year’s NFL draft.
But that doesn’t mean they didn’t like any of them. Hence, in the fourth round, with the 108th-overall pick, the Giants took Kyle Lauletta, a quarterback from Richmond. What we have here is an upcoming battle for the backup job behind starter Eli Manning, with Lauletta and second-year Davis Webb about to star in a summer competition.
Yes, the Giants realize Manning is 37 years old and time his winding down on him, although they feel he is not at all diminished physically and can be their starter for two or three more years. They are not blind to his age, though, and now have in Webb (a third-round pick in 2017) and Lauletta two young prospects to develop.
After passing on a quarterback in the first round to take running back Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 pick, head coach Pat Shurmur was asked what it meant to Webb.
“I don’t know if it is a vote of confidence in Davis,” said Shurmur, who went on to praise Webb’s performance in last week’s three-day mini-camp. “We loved what we saw this week. He got better every day. We certainly all know what Eli brings to the table.”
The Giants may have loved what they saw from Webb, but that did not prevent them from using a mid-round pick not on a player who can help them right away or contribute on special teams but on a developmental quarterback.
Lauletta has been compared in some circles to Jimmy Garoppolo as far as his skill set and leadership ability. He was three-year starter at Richmond and was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Senior Bowl, impressing scouts by stepping up against a higher level of competition. At 6-foot-2, 222 pounds, he has decent size and can move in and out of the pocket. He threw for more than 3,000 yards in all three years as a starter for the Spiders and had 93 touchdown passes and 35 interceptions in his career.
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