The Giants’ moves this offseason have pointed to a win-now approach in the wake of four straight losing seasons and it looks like that will extend to the draft as well.
General Manager Dave Gettleman said on Thursday that the “Cliff Note answer is yes” to a question about whether he feels he has to find an immediate starter with the No. 11 pick.
“It’s really hard to take a guy that at 11 that you’re betting on the potential. . . . In the NFL, I’ve got to be really cognizant of the coaches,” Gettleman said, via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “They’re under the pressure to win all the time, every Sunday is a referendum on their skills as coaches. You got to be really careful when you start taking guys that high that you love the physical skills, the potential but how long is it gonna take to show on the field. That’s kinda like the balance I have to get to.”
Coaches aren’t the only people under pressure to win, of course. The same is true for General Managers, especially ones that have overseen the last three of those losing seasons for the Giants, so Joe Judge won’t be the only person banking on Gettleman making the right choice next week.