New York Giants: Why Big Blue needs to draft Saquon Barkley
By Nico Doria
Penn State running back Saquon Barkley is the most talented player in this year’s draft and could take the New York Giants offense to the next level.
In today’s NFL, the running back position is devalued tremendously. The media and fans admire the Aaron Rodgers and Tom Bradys of the world. But some facts about this year’s playoff teams provide reason why the New York Giants need to draft running back sensation Saquon Barkley.
Looking at the 2017 playoff teams, it shows a prime reason the New York Giants cannot pass on drafting an all-world talent like Saquon Barkley. In this year’s playoffs, of the 12 teams that qualified for the postseason, nine of the top 10 teams in rushing yards made the tournament. On top of that, 11 of the top 15 teams in rushing yards are in the playoffs.
Along with that, seven teams in the playoffs were in the top 10 in rushing touchdowns, and 11 out of the top 15 teams in rushing attempts are in the playoffs. What does this mean?
Running the football gets overlooked. Teams nowadays love to air it out and throw the ball around the field. But without the establishment of a running attack, you become one dimensional.
In particular, look at a team like Jacksonville. Taking the pressure off of struggling Blake Bortles, the Jaguars selected Leonard Fournette with the fourth overall pick in this past year’s NFL Draft. The Jaguars went from 22nd in the NFL in rushing yards in 2016 to first in the NFL in 2017. Also in that time frame, the Jaguars (with the help of their defense) went from 3-13 and last in their division to 10-6 and AFC South champions.
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As many Giants’ fans know from the 2007 and 2011 teams, the key to winning a Super Bowl is defense and a solid rushing attack. The tandem of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw combined for two Super Bowls. They weren’t elite running backs but they balanced out the Giants offense enough for them to not become one dimensional.
In the past 10 years, 26 quarterbacks have been selected in the first round of the draft. Nine of the 26 started all 16 games for their respective teams in 2017. And only five of those nine made the playoffs this year.
The trend of drafting a running back in the first round lately has paid teams major dividends. Players like Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott, Melvin Gordon, Christian McCaffrey, and the aforementioned Leonard Fournette have helped turn their respective franchises around.
Saquon Barkley is a generational talent. Many scouts and executives have compared him to some of the recent first-round draft picks who are taking over the league at running back.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer sees Barkley as the future of the NFL.
"“You can build an offense around him,” said one AFC exec of Barkley. “He’s so f—ing good. Zeke is solid in all areas. Fournette is a special athlete for the position. This kid? He’s way better than both of them . . . He’s a step above Zeke in all categories, and has much better hands and feet and vision than Fournette does. He’s special. I haven’t seen a better college football player.”"
Since 2013, the Giants haven’t had a rushing attack better than 24th in the league. A stable bell cow type of back has not been on the New York Giants roster since the days of Tiki Barber.
Many are saying the New York Giants need to draft Eli Manning’s replacement. There are a couple highly rated talents in the draft at the quarterback position this year. Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold are perceived to be the top two quarterbacks available. But neither has the off-the-charts, game-changing ability that Barkley can have right away in the NFL. It’s not that these two quarterbacks can’t get to the elite level in the NFL, but Barkley has a great chance of getting there rather quickly.
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New general manager Dave Gettleman has some work to do with this offensive line. But if he upgrades the line and adds Barkley to proven playmakers on the New York Giants such as Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, and Evan Engram, any quarterback can feel comfortable. As for opposing defenses? Uh oh. Good luck. Who are you going to take away?