2019 NFL Draft: 5 Teams that should draft Kyler Murray in first round

2. New York Giants or Jacksonville Jaguars 

I put these teams together because their fates this offseason seem intertwined. The Giants currently sit with the No. 6 pick in the draft, with the Jaguars lurking just behind them at No. 7. They’re the two most QB-needy teams in the Top 10, and I would expect them to get into a bidding war over Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins between now and April.

If the Giants and Jaguars covet Haskins the way I think they will, then I expect one, or both, to explore trades in order to move up and usurp the other. New York sits ahead of Jacksonville at the moment, but they can’t stand idly and watch the Jaguars make a move ahead of them to select Haskins. They already passed on a QB in last year’s class to select Saquon Barkley, and can ill-afford to miss out again even if they plan on keeping Eli Manning around for another year.

The Jaguars could potentially be a QB away from competing in the AFC again. Just a year ago, Jacksonville was a stone’s throw away from a Super Bowl berth. They fell back to 5-11 this season in large part due to incompetent QB play from Blake Bortles. Much like the Dolphins with Tannehill, Jacksonville seems set on moving on from their former first round pick this offseason.

Plan A for both teams is likely to be Haskins, but Kyler Murray presents an intriguing Plan B if one of the teams doesn’t want to leverage future assets in a potential trade-up scenario.

For the Giants, the opportunity to pair Murray with Barkley would make for an explosive combo in the backfield, and Murray has the arm strength to uncork deep balls down the field to Odell Beckham Jr. They would instantly form one of the NFL’s most explosive trios.

For the Jaguars, shoring up their offensive line this offseason should lead to a resurgence from Leonard Fournette in 2019. Pairing Murray with Fournette could give Jacksonville a deadly read-option combination to utilize for the foreseeable future.

Both spots would also likely give Murray the opportunity to sit and learn for a year. I imagine that the Giants will be keeping Manning around regardless of whether or not they draft a quarterback for at least one more season. The Jaguars will likely move on from Bortles, but even if they draft a QB with their first round selection they will be players on the veteran QB market, hoping to find a veteran such as Joe Flacco who could bridge the gap for a year or two until their young QB is ready.

What the Giants and Jaguars choose to do will be one of the most fun subplots of the first round of the draft.