The Giants could take the Patrick Mahomes approach with Dwayne Haskins

The quarterback who could be Eli Manning’s successor seems ready to join Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr.

INDIANAPOLIS — New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman might be staring his NFL mortality in the face. If that’s the case, he has a plan to leave New York with a young franchise quarterback.

At 68, chances are Gettleman is in the twilight of his career. That’s why his remarks at the NFL Scouting Combine seem especially sincere. Gettleman wants to do for the Giants what his mentor, Ernie Accorsi, did. One of Accorsi’s last great acts with the Giants was setting New York up for years by trading for quarterback Eli Manning in the 2004 draft. Gettleman can do the same thing this year by finding Manning’s successor.

“What Ernie did for the Giants, it would be a dream for me to do the same thing,” Gettleman said Wednesday. “I would love to drop a franchise quarterback in this place, then watch him from Cape Cod and enjoy the hell out of him.

“That’s a gift and it’s what I would like to do that for the New York Giants.”

The player he could set the Giants up with is Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins. The idea would be to let Haskins sit a year behind Manning, who coach Pat Shurmur said would be back for the 2019 season. The idea even has a name: The Kansas City model. The Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes in 2017 and sat him behind Alex Smith as a rookie. In 2018, Mahomes tore through the NFL, throwing 50 touchdowns and winning the league’s MVP award.

Although Haskins’ arm strength might not be quite as good as Mahomes’, he showed on Saturday during combine workouts that it’s plenty strong. The ball comes out of Haskins’ hand with easy velocity, and he eases it in on shorter passes. On his deeper throws, Haskins showed he can put the ball over the top and let a receiver get under it consistently. His footwork, which is one of his bigger flaws, looked good too as he was often quick into his stance.

Haskins, who had a formal interview with the Giants on Friday night, pushed the New York issue during his media session. He mentioned how he’s known Giants running back Saquon Barkley since his sophomore year of high school, and that the offense would be prolific.

“I mean, growing up in New Jersey, I grew up a Giants fan, so it would be a dream come true as far as being able to go back home where my family is and play for that franchise,” Haskins said. “(They have) a lot of really great skill players. Either way, when it happens throughout this process, I’m just going to be excited to be in the NFL. Of course New York would be a great spot for me.”

Haskins also said he wouldn’t have a problem sitting behind Manning for a season.

“I can point to Ohio State and how I didn’t play for a year and a half at Ohio State,” Haskins, who sat behind J.T. Barrett for two years, said. “I’m comfortable enough to be able to learn from someone that’s been there in front of me. I know that I’m going to compete and be ready when my time is called.”