After beginning the 2018 JMRA Quarterback Draft with the Cleveland Browns, it’s time to pay a visit to another historic NFL franchise.

WITH THE SECOND PICK IN THE 2018 JMRA QUARTERBACK DRAFT, THE NEW YORK GIANTS SELECT….

ELI MANNING (2004-PRESENT), 1ST OVERALL PICK, 2004

Why Manning Is The Pick: There isn’t a lot about Manning that overwhelms the eye watching him play. He appears to be far from a great athlete; his arm is good, not great; and watching him run on rare occasions is a bit of an eye sore.

Yet, Easy E gets a slight edge over Phil Simms here but it wasn’t easy. Manning’s run as Giants quarterback is a little bizarre:

• He has only reached postseason play six times in his 14 seasons with the Giants.
• Last season, he finished 3-12 as a starter and got briefly benched by ex-Giants head coach Ben McAdoo before returning to the lineup.
• He has led his team to an over .500 record just seven times in 14 seasons.
• His record as a starter is just 111-103, which is good but not wonderful.

And then there are his postseason credentials…

Manning’s Giants won two Super Bowls as a wild card by defeating the gold standard for modern NFL success – Tom Brady and Bill Belichick – not once, but twice. The most notable of the two victories came in Super Bowl XLII when the Giants defeated the previously undefeated 18-0 New England Patriots thanks to out of this world play by Manning and David Tyree.

Oddly enough, Manning’s two Super Bowl runs in ’07 and ’11 account for all eight of his postseason wins.

Peak Eli: Manning’s finest hour as a quarterback came in the second Super Bowl run. After a regular season that saw the Ole Miss product throw for nearly 5,000 yards, stage an NFL-best five fourth-quarter comebacks and six game-winning drives, Manning upped his game in the postseason.

The Giants toppled the Atlanta Falcons at home in the wild card round; then, the 15-1 Green Bay Packers and NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers in Lambeau Field; and next, advanced to the Super Bowl with an overtime victory in the NFC title game over the 49ers in one of the physical games of the decade.

Manning’s true masterpiece moment came late in Super Bowl XLVI against the Patriots. Trailing the Patriots 17-15 late in the fourth quarter and deep in their own end, Manning perfectly threaded a long bomb down the sideline to Mario Manningham on the one of the greatest passes in Super Bowl history.

Moments later, the Giants took the lead and won their second Super Bowl in four seasons.

Post-Eli: There is no succession plan in place yet for Manning. However, with the second pick overall in this week’s draft, it’s hard to believe the Giants will select another position other than Manning’s eventual successor.

Legacy In A Sentence: I think Eli will find his way to Canton eventually but his playoff rèsumè puts him at the top of the heap for Giants quarterbacks.