Every year at this time Dalvin Tomlinson Color Rush Jersey , one or more General Managers wade into the debate regarding whether teams draft based on need, or whether they take the best available playerthat verbal minefield.“I’m just telling you: I’m not going to force a pick,” Giants G.M. Dave Gettleman said, via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. “You can’t draft for need. You’ll get screwed every time. You’ll make a mistake.”Gettleman added that he’ll make no exceptions, even when it comes to quarterback. And that’s fine. That’s fair. But it’s not realistic.Whether a team intends to do it or not, the assessment of the best available players always is influenced at some level by need. The qualitative, subjective nature of the process is conducive to that type of reverse engineering Phil McConkey Color Rush Jersey , where the needs necessarily influence the assessment of the best available players. And then, when a team drafts for need, it can claim that it’s taking the best available players.And why shouldn’t a team draft for need? That’s one of the benefits of the process. And if a team needs to move up or down the board to better match draft position, need, and overall value, so be it.It nevertheless makes sense for guys like Gettleman to claim that they don’t draft for need. That way, they can always claim victory when it comes to compiling the best possible draft class, without putting excessive pressure on a guy who otherwise would be expected to immediately address an area of urgency and Andrew Adams Color Rush Jersey , in turn, would feel more pressure to perform.It also makes sense for guys like me to say that, no matter what the G.M. says, need necessarily influences the process. The assessment of best available talent always takes need into account, consciously or not. Fans and media pundits have spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about whether or not Eli Manning will or should be the starting quarterback for the New York Giants next season. Manning said Wednesday he doesn’t know what is going to happen.“I don’t know,” Manning said when asked directly if he expected to be the team’s 2019 starter. “Haven’t got into that or thought much about that. I’m just worried about doing my job and finishing the season.”The 37-year-old Manning is concluding his 15th season with the Giants, and his 14th as the full-time starter.“I didn’t know (if he would return) last year, either Wayne Gallman Color Rush Jersey ,” Manning said. “We’ll figure it out.“Whenever you get to year 15 these things come up.”Manning and the Giants’ offense have played better the second half of the season, and coach Pat Shurmur has recently been complementary regarding the quarterback’s play. Still, the quarterback will be 38 next season and the Giants are concluding a sixth season without a playoff berth in the last seven years.Wide receiver Sterling Shepard said he would “love to” have Manning throwing him the ball next season.“He still has it in him, in my eyes,” Shepard said on Wednesday. “He’s the smartest guy I’ve ever played with and he’s still making the throws.”So, like the rest of us, Manning and his teammates will be guessing for at least a bit longer.