Cal quarterback Davis Webb selected on NFL draft's 2nd day

The New York Giants may have found a replacement for Eli Manning.

The Giants drafted a potential down-the-road replacement for the 36-year-old Manning, taking Cal quarterback Davis Webb in the third round.

“We hope Eli continues to play at a high level and this guy can develop, hopefully,” general manager Jerry Reese said. “You never know what will happen.”

Reese said the Giants felt that Webb had the best arm in the draft, and he was the highest player they had on their board when they made the 87th pick of the draft. He also expects Webb to spend a couple of seasons learning from Manning.

Webb, from Texas, started 26 games at Texas Tech before losing his job to Patrick Mahomes after being injured. He transferred to Cal as a graduate student and started 12 games last season, completing 382 of 620 passes for 4,295 yards, 37 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in their pass-happy spread offense.

Webb said he has not been told his role yet, but that he just wants to be a great teammate and plans to work hard.

“I'm just excited to be in the same quarterback room as him,” Webb said of Manning. “We'll see what happens.”

Giants coach Ben McAdoo did not see Webb work out, saying he did his evaluation from watching film.

“He is a big man, he is a fluid mover,” said McAdoo, who felt Webb probably would have been taken earlier in the draft. “He is a pocket passer but not necessarily a statue back there. He can move around and he has some rhythm in the pocket.”

BENGALS TAKE RUNNING BACK WHO HIT WOMAN IN 2014

Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon is headed to Cincinnati, which added to its reputation for taking chances on players with significant off-field issues.

The Bengals traded down in the second round on Friday and took Mixon with the 48th overall pick, putting them back in the spotlight as a place known for giving second and third chances.

The 5-foot-10 running back was one of the top players available at his position, but teams were wary because of his history. Mixon was suspended for his freshman season after punching a female student and breaking bones in her face.

The crowd in Philadelphia booed when Mixon's selection was announced. Coach Marvin Lewis said the team was aware of how the public would react to the pick.

“For some of our fans, probably (they'll) pause for a second,” Lewis said. “But this thing's got to move forward, and he's got to move on. He's lived with this since the day it's occurred.”

Bengals owner Mike Brown is known for taking troubled players. The Bengals were sold on Mixon after spending time with him, and the player was convinced they'd take a chance on him.

“After going there and having a good talk with coach Lewis and the owner, I felt they felt very comfortable,” Mixon said on a conference call. “I was very straight-up with them.”

CLEVELAND HOPES KIZER CAN STOP QB CAROUSEL

The Browns found a quarterback right down the road.

Cleveland's winding, seemingly aimless search for a franchise quarterback took them to nearby Toledo on Friday night as the team selected Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer, who is very familiar with the team's struggles.

After ignoring their most pressing need in the first round and sidestepping quarterbacks, including hometown hero Mitchell Trubisky, the Browns selected Kizer in the second round with the No. 52 overall pick. The 6-foot-4, 233-pounder struggled last season for the Fighting Irish, but the Browns are intrigued with his size, arm and upside.

“Obviously, he has the measureables,” said coach Hue Jackson. “A big, physical quarterback who can make all the throws that anybody needs to make in the National Football League. He's intelligent. So he has the characteristics that we're looking for.”

Cleveland has been looking for what seems like forever for a quarterback. The Browns have started 26 since 1999, when they returned as an expansion team.

Kizer hopes to end the Browns' vicious cycle of futility. After spending Thursday night at the first-round festivities in Philadelphia, where he agonized as other players were chosen ahead of him, Kizer went back home.

He'll be staying around for a while.

“It was well worth the wait now that I'm going to stay home and be a Cleveland Brown,” he said.