The NFL Draft was pretty exciting yesterday and many teams were in need of a QB, with 5 getting picked in the first round. The second and third rounds of the draft will commence today at 7:00 PM EST. The New York Giants have some holes to fill with their second and third round picks, but they filled a key position in choosing dynamic running back Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick after having a lackluster past season that the team is leaving in the past.
Welcome to the #NYGiants, RB Saquon Barkley!#GiantsPride #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/kx7OGsfsvT
— New York Giants (@Giants) April 27, 2018
Too good to pass up
The Giants easily stipulated that they could not pass up Saquon Barkley because of how dynamic he is as a playmaker, being able to catch passes out of the backfield, blocking, and his shifty running on the field.
An article in The New York Post written by Paul Schwartz shows how great Barkley is. It states that Barkley was "an immediate and repeated sensation at Penn State, amassing 3,843 rushing yards and 43 rushing touchdowns. What separates Barkley is his blend of speed and size and his ability as a pass-catcher." Saquon Barkley is clearly a generational talent.
But with everything in life, this comes with criticism because typically an organization can find a great running back in the second or third round. However, Barkley is a different case as he is truly special, having the versatility, speed, and explosiveness to shine in the NFL. But it does spell out risk because the team still does not have a great offensive line even after signing Nate Solder.
They managed to lose Weston Richburg, who played well for the G-men. Bobby Hart wasn't a huge loss, but that still leaves a hole and Ereck Flowers still has not proven he can be a great player at all.
It is also noted that the Giants could have seen what Ezekiel Elliot did in his rookie year with the Dallas Cowboys as he was picked in the first round.
Not having Elliot made the Cowboys' season a nightmare. Having a good running back and running the ball, in general, is key to deflating or tiring out a defense.
The Giants have also not had a great running back in many years since Tiki Barber. Barkley can certainly change all that and the Giants could have a dangerous offense with the combination of Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, and Evan Engram.
Good departure for Eli
The pick that the Giants made, more importantly, helps out Eli Manning a lot. The two-time Super Bowl-winning QB has been on the decline and having Saquon Barkley in the backfield will really help him out. The Giants still believe in Manning as they should, but his time in the league is dwindling as he has a couple years left in him.
It would be nice if the Giants won another Super Bowl ring, and for Eli to ride off into the sunset for everything he has embodied and done for this organization. There is no question that he has had class and been a great teammate and competitor for "Big Blue." It seems that they owe him that much after how the QB was treated last year -- being demoted and ruining his streak of consecutive starts for a lost season.
The team must not have seen a quarterback that they absolutely thought could be a franchise-caliber player in the NFL. Many of the QB's have question marks -- from Sam Darnold, to Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, and Baker Mayfield. Sam Darnold seems to be the best out of them all. The other thing fans have to think about is that Eli Manning has two years left, so the Giants could easily pick a QB in next year's draft or the year after, and they still have not seen Davis Webb.
Other holes to fill
In the second and third rounds of the NFL Draft, the New York Giants still have some holes that they could fill at the defensive end after losing Jason Pierre-Paul. The defense was shaky last year as the team allowed a lot of points on the board with the offense struggling.
They could also use a great inside or outside linebacker, which they haven't had in a long time. But it seems that the offense will be in good shape next year if all goes according to plan.
✌️✌️✌️✌️✌️
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) April 27, 2018
Congratulations @saquon on being selected No. 2 overall by the @Giants!
The Big 🍎 is getting a B1G-time talent. pic.twitter.com/8cHIIWpCQk
Saquon Barkley highlights! 🔥🔥🔥#GiantsPride #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/Dzl8Zklj7x
— New York Giants (@Giants) April 27, 2018