Giants GM: Missing on a 1st-round quarterback a '5-year mistake'

Speaking at his pre-draft press conference Thursday, New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman appeared to offer some insight into his team's draft-day decision process.

Despite links to multiple quarterbacks atop next week's draft, Gettleman was quick to point out the risk of selecting a signal-caller.

"When you're picking this high, if you make a mistake... (and) you miss on a quarterback... you probably hurt the franchise for five years," Gettleman said, via NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano. "It's a five-year mistake."

The Giants currently own the second overall pick and will have plenty of high-quality options whether they take a quarterback or not.

Gettleman added he has not made up his mind on which prospect to select, saying: "With the second pick, I'm sitting at Ben and Jerry's and I have a lot of different flavors to look at."

One player linked to New York is Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, a consensus top-five prospect. Gettleman appeared enamored with the athletic ball-carrier.

"He’s a tremendous talent, I’m not going to lie," he said, via NFL Network's Kimberly Jones. "He’s one of those guys my mother could have scouted."

Adding to speculation the Giants could pass on a first-round quarterback next week, Gettleman continued to support current starter Eli Manning, saying he still has "plenty of arm" and is taking great care of himself heading into 2018.