When the New York Giants used the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to select quarterback Daniel Jones, the reaction was immediate and overwhelmingly negative. Pre-draft rankings were a mixed bag, but most analysts had Jones ranked as a fringe first-round talent. General manager Dave Gettleman took some heat, co-owner John Mara was blasted, and even Jones himself was well aware of the smatter of boos present at the Giants' draft night party. 

Fast forward three months, and that tune has changed. Jones opened his Giants career by going a perfect 5-of-5 in his preseason debut for 67 yards passing and a touchdown. The vibe around Jones and the Giants, among analysts and specifically among the fans, has quickly changed. Of course, those who have been around the game long enough know not to put too much credence in one preseason performance one way or another.

Former NFL quarterback and current CBS lead analyst Tony Romo opts to dig a little deeper. Romo has quickly emerged as one of the most popular broadcasters because he has found the best way to deliver Xs and Os intricacies on the game of football in a digestible way for all fans. When analyzing the future of the Giants, in relation to the offensive system Shurmur has put in place, Romo is excited about what the prospect of adding mobility to the quarterback position might do.

"I see the upside of what can happen with their play-action game," Romo said at the 2019 NFL on CBS Media Day. "Your ability to be mobile, you saw it in Minnesota with Case Keenum when Shurmur was there. The success he had just from a little bit of the mobility, that really does help."

Jones wasn't pleased with his timed 40-yard dash speed at the 2019 NFL Combine so he re-ran the drill at his Duke Pro Day and clocked a 4.67. Jones has the above-average straight-line speed for his position, but he's not a burner. However, Jones finished second-best at his position in the 3-cone drill (7.00) -- used to test a player's agility. He is also a former AAU basketball player. 

According to Romo, a quarterback's mobility is most important for the passing game and for a team's overall run game. A quarterback's ability to run on his own for a first down is just a bonus.

"With some of the stuff the Giants do in the run game, the actions the quarterback does off of that can really get you to reset the pocket and effectively help the offensive line," Romo said. "To me, that is also as big of a deal as the ability to run for first downs. Your ability to recreate the pocket and find more time to help other people is more important than running the ball for first downs."

Two staples of head coach Pat Shurmur's offensive system are the play-action passing game and mesh route concepts designed to get the ball in the hands of his skill position players with room to create big plays after the catch. Shurmur has a wide variety of offensive concepts that he builds off of the play-action passing game, including bootlegs to both sides, and throwback screen passes, but it's possible we haven't seen the full gambit just yet. 

Shurmur was able to get the most out of a quarterback like Keenum in Minnesota because of his mobility -- it meshed perfectly with the system. Veteran two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning is set to enter his age-39 season, and while he adjusted and improved within the system during the second half of his first season with Shurmur, the bootleg play-action passing game doesn't exactly come naturally to him. The same cannot be said of Jones and that's a big reason why the Giants used the No. 6 overall pick to make sure they left this draft class with him on their roster.

After the draft concluded, Shurmur noted Jones' athleticism as a key factor in why the franchise is so excited about him.

"He's athletic and mobile, which is important in today's game," Shurmur said.

Gettleman's post-draft analysis seems to align almost identically to Romo's assessment of why mobility is so important at the quarterback position in today's NFL.

"He is not by any stretch of the imagination an average athlete," Gettleman said after the draft. "He's a really good athlete. This kid can extend, make plays with his feet, buy time in the pocket. He's got feel."

Shurmur has made many stops in his coaching career, and although his system has West Coast principles, it also incorporates other offensive concepts he has picked up along the way. For example, Shurmur has worked into his system the zone-read and RPO (run-pass option) offensive concept he learned during his stint as offensive coordinator for head coach Chip Kelly with the Philadelphia Eagles. 

The Giants only briefly used these concepts during the 2018 season, and they were mostly determined during the pre-snap process by Manning. However, the Giants' first 2019 preseason game gave us a glimpse of what's to come and how that frequency might change when Jones takes over. On his lone possession, Jones used a post-snap RPO, read the last defender (a linebacker) in the box, and made the correct decision to throw a slant to wide receiver Golden Tate for a 10-yard gain and a first down.

Romo was impressed with that play, and he believes the introduction of the RPO and zone-read game can work wonders for a Giants offense that features running back Saquon Barkley, but he also offered a caveat. In order for the Giants' offense to sustain consistency using these concepts, they will have to incorporate them as a staple in the system.

"The RPO can only be as dangerous as your running play," Romo said. "However, if the defense isn't going to account for the run, then you're really not going to get the big plays it can create. If the Giants are going to do it, you really have to live in it. You can't just sprinkle it in twice. I think they do a good job, with the Giants you see it. The problem is now it's on tape, and once it's on tape, it's on tape. Teams are going to figure it out if you just sprinkle it in. If you do it a lot, it's harder for them, because things look similar."

The good news for Giants fans is that if they do plan to make the RPO a staple of their offense with Jones, you can be sure defenses are going to account for the run when No. 26 is in the backfield. The addition of these offensive concepts will work best if the Giants make it a staple, as Romo made clear, but also if you have a mobile quarterback who poses the threat of tucking the ball under and running with it if the defense doesn't account for that possibility.

During his collegiate career at Duke, Jones mixed in these concepts. In a rivalry game against UNC in 2018, Jones ran for nearly 200 yards rushing and a touchdown on 15 carries. According to Pro Football Focus, he picked up a first down on six of his carries, he forced three missed tackles, and he totaled 72 of his rushing yards after contact. Of Jones' 15 rushing attempts, 12 of them came on designed run plays or RPO play called by the coaching staff.

Jones broke away from UNC defenders on his touchdown run -- arguably the most underrated play by any quarterback in the 2019 class.

Jones has quickly made a believer of analysts like Romo, his teammates -- like, literally, all of his teammates -- and the coaching staff. The Giants have a vision for their offense when they drafted Jones and it's a blueprint that is much easier to get on board with the more digging you do.

Of course, don't pin Romo in the camp of those analysts who have moved on from veteran quarterback Eli Manning. Although some fans and analysts have wondered when and if a quarterback controversy will brew in New York, Romo sees their situation from a more straightforward perspective.

"I don't think you navigate anything," Romo said of the Giants' current quarterback situation. "If Eli Manning is playing good football, he's the quarterback. If you lose football games, everyone's jobs are on the line. Eli is playing good, and if their offensive line gives him time, I think he's going to play good football. If he has time, Eli can still play."

When asked to analyze the division, Romo also noted the Giants are one of his sleeper teams to surprise some people in 2019.

"I think the Giants are going to be better than people know," Romo said. "The division could be very strong and more so than I think some people might assess."

The Giants hope Romo is right. If Manning is playing well, there will be no controversy in New York. Eventually, once Jones enters the mix, he will have had more time to learn under Manning and prepare himself for the concepts that will make Shurmur's offensive system buzz. This is the "Kansas City model" Gettleman referred to and was chastised for during the pre-draft process.