Of all the potential landing spots for former Oregon quarterback and Heisman Trophy-winner Marcus Mariota in the 2015 NFL Draft, the New York Giants don't seem to make a ton of sense.
Long-time franchise signal-caller Eli Manning has proven incredibly durable - and successful, considering the two Super Bowl victories to his name - during his 11-year NFL career, having dressed for all 16 games every year after his rookie season.
Manning also set career-highs in completions and completion percentage last year thanks to new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo's West Coast, rhythm-based system and the breakout rookie season put forth by Odell Beckham Jr.
Still, according to at least one NFL personnel man, the Giants are very much a possible Mariota destination later this month.
"I'm going to give you one long-shot team to watch: the Giants. If for some reason Mariota enters into a free fall, watch them. Eli [Manning] is getting older," the unnamed personnel man told Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report.
Manning, 34, is set to embark on his 12th NFL season.
While the numbers he was able to put up last season - 4,410 yards, 30 touchdowns and just seven interceptions for a quarterback rating of 92.1 - certainly don't seem to indicate that he's anywhere near the end of his professional career, when taking into account Manning's age and contract - he's entering the final year of his deal - Giants GM Jerry Reese may have no choice other than to start planning for New York's life after Eli.
If Mariota falls - most suspect he won't and, in fact, will likely be gone by the first or second-overall selection - Reese would be hard-pressed not to seriously consider such a significant talent at the signal-caller position.
While Mariota does come from a spread-option offense at the collegiate level, his overall skills and mental makeup - along with a growing sense across the league, per Freeman, that football is truly his passion - it doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility that with a season or two to learn, he could turn himself into a high-quality NFL starter in nearly any NFL system.
Interestingly, the timing offense employed by McAdoo would probably translate well to Mariota's game. At Oregon, the offense is predicated on the quarterback acting as something of a point-guard, making quick, split-second reads, distributing the ball to his playmakers and taking advantage of the defense with his legs whenever possible.
Last year, the Giants offense employed a bevy of screens, short three-step drops and horizontal passing concepts - a seemingly perfect fit for Mariota.
Of course, any talk of the Giants actually nabbing Mariota becomes moot the moment the Buccaneers or Titans or some other team takes him, but it's intriguing to wonder - and really not all that far-fetched - if he could win up with Big Blue should he take a tumble on draft night.
