Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins really wants Eli Manning's job
The boilerplate stance for top NFL prospects is to announce they’ll be happy with whatever team selects them in the draft.
Dwayne Haskins is not taking that approach.
The former Ohio State quarterback and likely top-10 pick in April is making known under no uncertain terms that he wants Eli Manning’s job.
The New Jersey native who declared for the draft on Sunday told the Chicago Tribune in December, “I’m hoping for that too,” when told the New York Giants might consider drafting him.
That was his response when prompted about the Giants.
Now he’s hired an artist to express his love for NY
His move Tuesday was next level.
Completely unprompted, Haskins delivered a Twitter warning to teams drafting ahead of the Giants at No. 6 complete with a high-quality artist’s rendition of himself sporting a No. 7 Giants jersey.
“Don’t let me go back to the crib,” the tweet read, an apparent message for teams in the top five not to pass him up.
Risky move prompts second thoughts for Haskins
This image, of course, raises plenty of potential headaches for Haskins down the road. While the Giants are prime candidates to draft Haskins, odds are he’ll go elsewhere.
And if he does, the image he provided the world of himself wearing a Giants jersey will be available for whatever fodder opponents and media intend.
Haskins posted an Instagram story with images of himself in other NFL jerseys while featuring the Giants image on his Twitter account.
Haskins actually posted jersey swaps of himself in a #Jaguars, #Redskins, #Dolphins and #Bucs uniform on his IG story. Only used twitter for the #Giants. pic.twitter.com/tbJrfW3G18
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) January 9, 2019
He apparently realized the potential pitfalls of his Twitter post after the fact and ended up deleting the tweet. But the internet and screen shots are forever, so it’s likely this isn’t the last we’ve seen of this work of art.
Giants really need a QB
The Giants passed on a quarterback last year with the No. 2 pick, instead selecting Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, who had an outstanding rookie campaign that landed him a Pro Bowl nod.
But the team languished to a 5-11 record with an aging, ineffective Manning under center. The Giants also signed three-time Pro Bowl receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to a lucrative extension and would be unwise to continue to waste the prime of his career paired with a bad quarterback.
As painful as it seems to be, it’s well beyond time for the Giants to part ways with Manning. If the team wises up, Haskins’ tweet may end up as a cause for celebration rather than regret.
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