New York Giants: Saquon Barkley needs to be careful with Odell Beckham Jr. friendship

Rookie running back Saquon Barkley has a friend in New York Giants star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. but he needs to be careful.

New York Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley has become friends with Giants star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. They appear to be a great on-the-field duo but should be careful off the field.

The New York Giants picked Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, however, the two became friends before they became teammates. Beckham worked out with Barkley while he was at Penn State and Barkley has leaned on Beckham for advice. In an interview with Matt Lombardo of NJ.com, Barkley opened up about how close he and Beckham have become, and how they talked about playing with each other.

“We talked about it. We talked the Giants drafting me into existence. When I used to hang out with Odell, I’d tell him; ‘I’m going to be a Giant, I want to be a Giant, I want to be a part of that team,” Barkley said.

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When talking about their friendship Barkley said, “Odell and I got a lot closer since the Draft. It was great meeting him. Odell was just being Odell. He’s one of the most electrifying players in the NFL, if not the best wide receiver in the NFL. He saw who I was from college, and we just started working out. Since then, he started giving me tips. He gave me a lot of tips on how to do it, and how not to do it. He’s done a little bit of both. Everyone has that. He has 4-5 years in his career. He’s seen it all. I look forward to our career together and obviously our friendship growing even more.”

The former Penn State running back said that OBJ is a very special person and player and believes that the two of them could be a powerful duo in the NFL.

“I do believe that we can have an impact on this league. But, when I say ‘we,’ it’s never just Odell and me. It’s not just the Saquon and Odell duo. It’s not the Saquon show. That wide receiving corps around Odell is extremely talented. You have a great quarterback. You have a great stable of running backs.”

Barkley and Beckham could be a powerful duo as Barkley finished his Penn State career with 43 rushing touchdowns and 53 total touchdowns, a school record. He is Penn State’s career all-purpose yards leader with 5,538 yards. Beckham is the Giants best receiver but only played in four games last year due to an ankle fracture.

While they may be a powerful duo on the football field, Barkley needs to be careful being around OBJ. Now I’m not saying that their friendship is a bad thing. It’s a good thing that could become bad. OBJ’s behavior off the field has been controversial. In March he appeared in a video where he seemed to be holding a blunt. There was also the time where he and other Giants receivers partied in Miami on a yacht before losing to the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs.

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Saquon, you need to be careful around OBJ because being close friends with him could possibly get you in trouble. You have been warned.