Saquon Barkley Should be Gone by the Second Pick
The New York Giants are in an interesting position this year as the draft looms over the end of April. Having the number two overall pick in the draft ensures a team a shot at one of the best prospects the draft has to offer. That just happens to be where the Giants are with just over two weeks before the draft. New York is in unusual territory, after routinely drafting in the back half of the draft for the better part of the last decade.
After a 3–13 finish this past season, there would appear to be many holes to fill. If the New York football Giants are looking for a quick turnaround, there is only one player to draft, and that is Saquon Barkley.
Barkley broke the stadium in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine. The Penn State product displayed everything a coach could dream of in a running back. Barkley ran a 4.40 40-yard dash and even put up 29 reps on the bench press. He wasn’t done there. Barkley showed elite lateral quickness in cone drills as well. Ultimately, Barkley finished at the top of the running back class in every drill he participated in and solidified himself as the safest pick in the draft.
The only thing hurting Barkley is the fact that there are so many quarterbacks to choose from in this draft class. The Giants could go quarterback and select a successor to Eli Manning, but doing so wouldn’t help the team in the short term.
Eli Manning can still play the game, but the team needs weapons around him. Losing Odell Beckham for the season in 2017 exposed the Giants for having too few options on offense.
Evan Engram has promise, and Odell is on schedule to return from his broken ankle. However, the Giants still need talent in the backfield. Relying on Paul Perkins as the feature back early in the season proved ineffective. Orleans Darkwa was able to be productive, but he still doesn’t possess the skill set that Barkley showed off at the combine and at Penn State.
The Giants finished only 26th in the league in rushing this past season with just 96.8 yards a game. Barkley can change that. With Barkley as the main threat and Darkwa as a change of pace complementary back, The Giants can return their running game to the form that made them contenders in the NFC for years.
The key to a quick turnaround will be Barkley’s ability to take pressure off of Manning. While improving the rushing attack, Barkely will give Manning a weapon out of the backfield that can eat up yards, either through a designed play or a simple check down. During Barkley’s 2017 campaign at Penn State, he accumulated 54 receptions for 632 yards. If Barkley can replicate that type of production the Giants would be looking at a triple threat of talent when it comes to Barkley, Beckham, and Engram.
The Giants have plenty of options in the draft this year and their selection will have ramifications for every team picking after them. If the Giants are in a win now mode while they still have Eli Manning, then they must select Saquon Barkley.
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