The NFL Draft is coming up and the New York Giants have the No. 2 overall pick. A lot of experts think that the Giants should select a quarterback in this year’s draft, in order to secure the next franchise quarterback after Eli Manning retires. Manning is 37 years old and it is clear that he is in the last few years of his career. However, what a lot of people do not understand is that Eli Manning is still a solid quarterback, and with the right pieces, he can still lead the New York Giants to a Super Bowl.
It’s no secret that the New York Giants offensive line was one of the worst in the league. The best offensive lineman that the Giants have is without a doubt Justin Pugh, but he hasn’t played all 16 games in a season since 2013. If the quarterback isn’t mobile (and it’s no secret that Eli Manning is not), then basically the quarterback is doomed from the start if he does not have any protection. This was the case for Eli Manning all of last season.
So, keeping all of this in mind, what exactly should the Giants do with the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft? The answer is actually quite simple. The Giants need to draft running back Saquon Barkley from Penn State. This guy is poised to be a star in the NFL, and he is exactly what the Giants need right now. Not only have the Giants dealt with terrible offensive line play, but the team has also never had a solid running back since days of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. If you remember these two running backs, they were key pieces that helped the Giants to secure Super Bowl victories against the Patriots, and it’s about time the Giants had a strong running game again. Not only that, by drafting Barkley, the Giants will have an amazing running game, and Eli Manning will have even more protection.
Barkley is a great pass blocker, so utilizing these skills along with his ability to run and catch the football, should make the Giants offense significantly better from last season. I’m not afraid to say that with Barkley, the Giants have the potential to be one of the best offenses in the league. With Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram, and Saquon Barkley, this is a stacked offense on paper. Of course, it will all come down to whether or not Eli Manning has enough time to throw the ball, but by drafting Barkley, opposing defenses have to be cautious when dealing with the possibility of him running the ball, so this will definitely open up the play action pass for Eli Manning, giving him more time in the pocket. And since Pat Shurmur is the new head coach of the New York Giants, fans have to be excited to see what he can do help the Giants offense, since he made the Vikings offense look amazing with Case Keenum as their quarterback.
We’ll know soon enough who the Giants decide to select in the upcoming draft. But honestly, if the Giants want to be Super Bowl contenders once again, there is only one person that the Giants should draft, and that is Barkley.
The NFL draft begins April 26.
