To be clear, the Giants should keep the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft and bag their next franchise quarterback. But if GM Dave Gettleman doesn't feel he can find Eli Manning's successor tonight, then he should deal the pick.
Don't pick Saquon Barkley. Don't grab Bradley Chubb. Move five or so slots down and get the next best player in the draft.
If you watched college football's national championship game between Georgia and Alabama, you may have seen a great defensive player. And it wasn't Minkah Fitzpatrick. ESPN did a separate broadcast of the game, during which many of today's best college coaches broke down each play. And more times than not, a young man was making grown man plays. After seeing a large player gallop down the sidelines on a kickoff, track down and tackle a speedster 40 lbs lighter, Kevin Sumlin said, "That guy is going to make a lot of money on Sundays."
The guy was, and is, Roquan Smith. The former Georgia Bulldog is surely going to be picked in the top-ten. But since linebacker isn't a sexy position, like a QB or RB, his name has been barely murmured among draft experts. At just 20-years-old, Smith won SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, was named MVP of the SEC championship game, and became the first Bulldog to win the Butkus Award. Smith also posted 6.5 sacks last year - a robust number for an inside LB. While everyone is brooding over which quarterbacks will be picked in order, we're ignoring someone who may play in the next ten Pro Bowls.
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The Giants spent countless millions on free agents Janoris Jenkins, Snacks Harrison, and Olivier Vernon. But their best defensive player, Landon Collins, costs just a fraction of those contracts because they drafted him. And as good as Collins is, Smith is even more gifted. But linebackers don't make SportsCenter, or the cover of John Madden video games.
What if Smith is their best linebacker since Lawrence Taylor? Sure, Smith could be a bust. Except he won't be, as long as his limbs and ligaments are intact. He's that talented. A tackle machine with speed, strength and instincts, you plug Smith into LB and let him crush opponents for the next decade.
Again, this all falls under the supposition that the Giants don't have a taste for the current buffet of quarterbacks - Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Baker Mayfield, or Lamar Jackson (assuming the Cleveland Browns pick Josh Allen with the top pick.) We all agree that you need to get your man under center first. But absent that option, get the best non-thrower in the draft. And it says here that getting Smith with the ninth pick is better than Barkley with the second pick.
Granted, picks six through ten are held by clubs that are set under center. But if Indianapolis, Tampa Bay, Chicago, San Francisco, or Oakland think that Barkley is the last piece to completing their offense, take their call, their pick, plus whatever else you can bleed from them. Heck, maybe Denver wants to deal the No. 5 pick, give you their second-round pick, or even next year's first-round pick, and pluck Smith there.
With the emergence of Le'Veon Bell, Zeke Elliott, Todd Gurley, and Alvin Kamara, running is back in style, and you need someone just as athletic to bring those runners to the turf. Maybe you won't understand why your favorite team spent a top-ten pick on someone who doesn't run, throw, or catch the ball, until you see Smith all over the field. Alabama is a conveyer belt of NFL talent, yet they couldn't corral Roquan Smith, who had 11 tackles in the title game, more than double that of any other Georgia defender.
Big Blue built their legacy on defense, from Sam Huff to LT to Michael Strahan. Offense will always be sexier, but defense travels, all the way to the Super Bowl. If the Giants don't get the best quarterback, then they should get the best player - Roquan Smith.
Follow Jason on Twitter at @JasonKeidel