Daniel Jones has received more flak than any other player selected in the 2019 NFL Draft.  To overcome criticism gleaned from the New York Giants taking him at No.  6 overall in the biggest media market in the world, the former Duke quarterback would do well to embrace “Mamba Mentality,” the mindset championed by Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.  And if his new jersey number in the NFL is any indication, doing so won’t be a problem. 

On Friday, Jones was asked why chose to wear No.  8 among the many numbers offered to him by the Giants. 

“Old Kobe, I guess,” he replied, per Art Stapleton of northjersey.com. 

Bryant, of course, wore No.  8 with the Lakers for the first 10 years of his career before switching to No.  24 in 2006-07.  He retired after the 2015-16 season as a five-time champion and the league’s third all-time leading scorer. 

Jones, considered a fringe first-round prospect for the majority of the pre-draft process, threw for 2,674 yards, 22 touchdowns, and nine interceptions while completing 60.5 percent of his passes last season.  There have been conflicting reports about whether he would have been available later in the first round, either with New York’s second first-rounder, the 17th pick, or the No.  30 selection, which the team acquired on draft night from the Seattle Seahawks. 

Regardless, Jones’ draft position shouldn’t matter once he takes the field for the Giants.  It will almost certainly be mentioned throughout his career, though, which makes his chosen jersey number all the more understandable.  After all, would Kobe worry about naysayers?  No way.