Daniel Jones isn’t focusing on fan reactions to Giants’ pick

The New York Giants began their 2019 rookie minicamp Friday in what was first-round pick Daniel Jones’ first chance to be around his new teammates.

New York Giants first-round pick Daniel Jones is beginning his NFL career in about as bad of a way as possible. He’s considered an over-drafted player at the game’s most important position in the country’s biggest media market.

Ouch.

But part of the reason the Giants pegged Jones as the heir to Eli Manning’s Iron Throne in New York is his personality. He’s been compared to Manning in how he approaches the game, both on and off the field, especially with the media and fans.

The Giants kicked off their 2019 rookie minicamp Friday and it was Jones’ first opportunity to come face-to-face with the New York media as the only quarterback in town.

“It would be hard to be completely unaware of a lot of that stuff the way it works nowadays,” Jones said of Giants fans not liking his selection, “but there’s a lot to focus on, a lot to learn for me right now.

“Being here, learning the offense. I’m not sure I can afford to really focus on that too much.”

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Jones was considered one of four quarterbacks with a chance to be selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft and was generally ranked either third or fourth in that bunch behind Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins. Most analysts assumed he was jockeying with Drew Lock for QB4.

Then came draft day.

Jones went sixth overall to the Giants — the second quarterback drafted — and a dragon-style firestorm ensued.

But soon it will all be a distant memory, and if Jones develops into a quality starting quarterback in New York, the narrative will flip from draft-day reach to league superstar. Learning from Manning will be a big part of his development as a pro.

“I’m looking forward to spending time with him and learning from him,” Jones said of Manning. “This is a huge opportunity to be around a guy like that.”

The more Jones learns from Manning, the more games he’ll win. Including a Super Bowl or two.

“I think the goal is certainly to win Super Bowls,’’ he said. “There’s no doubt about it, that’s the goal, to win multiple Super Bowls, like Eli has.”