New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman said he didn’t fall in love with any quarterbacks in last year’s draft class, so he passed. He took Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick.

Gettleman must really love Duke quarterback Daniel Jones, because he staked his reputation on him.

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The Giants were rumored to be interested in Jones just before the draft, and they took him at No. 6 overall.

Many who thought the Giants liked Jones figured they’d wait until No. 17 (their second first-round pick) to get him, because Jones wasn’t widely considered a top-15 pick. But the Giants clearly didn’t want to gamble and have someone else take Jones. Jones is now their clear successor to Eli Manning.

Giants didn’t want to lose Daniel Jones

Gettleman needs Jones to be the right pick.

He has already been under heat for passing on a quarterback last year, and the general decay of the Giants roster. His steadfast loyalty to a fading Manning was a problem. Trading Odell Beckham to Cleveland didn’t go over well.

The Jones pick will be under immediate scrutiny. He is big, athletic, but wasn’t considered a can’t-miss quarterback prospect. Yahoo Sports’ Eric Edholm had Jones ranked as his 56th-best prospect in this year’s draft class. A lot of people figured Jones could get into the first round, because quarterbacks always go higher than maybe they should, but No. 6 seemed high. The Giants crowd watching the draft didn’t seem happy:

Gettleman clearly has a conviction on his new franchise quarterback.

Jones will be under pressure

Anyone taking over for Manning would have found himself under a harsh spotlight. Manning is a beloved two-time Super Bowl champion.

It’s not fair to Jones, but the notion the Giants reached on him at No. 6 won’t help. It adds to the pressure he’ll be under in an intense market.

Now Jones and Gettleman go forward hand in hand. If Jones doesn’t work out, the way Gettleman managed the quarterback situation since he took over as Giants GM will be what people remember best from his time on the job.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

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