Selecting Richmond Quarterback Kyle Lauletta in the 4th round of the draft with several other interesting prospects available, left many scratching their heads on what direction the Giants were intending to go in. Lauletta is an interesting prospect. Someone with decent measurables and impressive intangibles who also has a Senior Bowl MVP on his resume. He was being compared favorably to the likes of Chad Pennington and Jimmy Garrapolo which is rather high praise for a quarterback prospect who had fallen out of the top three rounds. Especially considering the Giants passed on Sam Darnold when he fell into their lap, it would seem as though new coach Pat Shurmur might have been hand picking his guy for the future. While some believe this is the case, there might be different reason for the selection of Lauletta. To push fellow Senior Bowl MVP Davis Webb. It’s no secret that Eli Manning simply isn’t the same player he once was. Sure, he has had valid excuses as to why his play has dropped such as a subpar offensive line and a receiving corps that was rocked with injuries. That still doesn’t excuse the fact that some don’t even consider Eli Manning as one of the top four quarterbacks in his own division. His best days are behind him and after his streak of consecutive starts was inexcusably broken in favor of a bust in Geno Smith, there’s even less reason to turn a blind eye if Eli struggles this season. If struggles do mount on top of a season where the Giants are facing an absolute gauntlet of a schedule, it could very well be time to make a change for better or worse. Thats where Davis Webb comes in. By all accounts this offseason, especially following the selection of Lauletta, Webb has been opening eyes with his stature, work ethic and refreshingly strong arm. A 3rd round draft pick from a year earlier when he was considered a dark horse for the 1st round, Davis Webb has the measurables, arm, and presumably the potential that many search for in a quarterback prospect. Relegated to the the bench and the inactive list in 2017, Webb is all but officially locked in as the backup QB to Eli and from reports has “closed the gap” between him and the longtime face of the franchise. We weren’t able to even see much of Webb in the 2017 preseason due to the backup quarterback battle between Geno Smith and Josh Johnson, of which the better player lost. The little we did see left many wanting more but we were never able to see again. This preseason will be different. While of course, people will be talking about the battle for backup between Lauletta and Webb, there might be a bigger story in the possible battle for starting quarterback between Webb and Eli.