The New York Giants should take Saquon Barkley at no. 2
The New York Giants are moving forward with Eli Manning as the starter in 2018, so it makes sense to make a run at a title by drafting Saquon Barkley…
The New York Giants have been a pretty consistent landing spot for either Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen with their number two overall pick in most mock drafts, but where’s the love for Penn State running back Saquon Barkley?
With Pat Shurmur coming in as the new head coach and Eli Manning apparently not going anywhere either, why would the Giants not at least consider using their top pick on a player that can help them right away, not just down the line?
Don’t get me wrong, there would be no judgment on my part if the Giants decided to take the heir apparent to Manning with the number two overall pick, but this is a very deep quarterback draft (it’s deep at running back as well) and the Giants could get an heir apparent in round two or three as well.
They don’t need Josh Rosen or Sam Darnold, though maybe three or four years from now we’d be singing a different tune.
But what if the Giants could get a quarterback on day two and take Barkley with their top pick?
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Think about that offense for a moment.
With Eli Manning and Pat Shurmur calling the shots, you would have a group of skill players that includes Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram, and Barkley. That is a ridiculous core group of players that also includes veteran Brandon Marshall coming back from injury.
If the Giants were able to get all those guys on the same page, they would be very difficult to defend. One could argue that a prime pick like that shouldn’t be spent on a position like running back, but the Giants were a playoff team just two years ago and with the right head coach and some good fortune in the health department, they could be right back in the thick of things in the NFC East.
Taking Barkley would be a bold move for a team that had the second worst record in the NFL, but their top returning back is Wayne Gallman, and the offense lacks a dynamic presence at the running back position to be certain.
Barkley would change that in a hurry, and would make gameplanning for the Giants a nightmare.