New York Giants: At this point, the Saquon Barkley- Sam Darnold debate is ludicrous
By Sam Friedman
The New York Giants and New York Jets both had top five picks in the draft this year which forever ties Saquon Barkley to Sam Darnold. However, that shouldn’t be the case.
Going into the season, New York Giants fans were rightfully displeased with the Giant’s choice of Saquon Barkley over a quarterback like Sam Darnold.
Baker Mayfield was already off the board, but when that pick transpired, it seemed like a reach. In hindsight, we all look pretty dumb for doubting Mayfield.
Anyway, the argument, however, was that the Giants made a huge mistake in not going after Sam Darnold, who many pegged as the most talented of the five quarterbacks taken in the first round (Josh Rosen, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson being the other three).
More from Empire Writes Back
- Caesars New York Promo Code: Win $250 Bonus GUARANTEED on ANY Bet!
- Last Chance Caesars Promo: Claim $1,250 Bonus for ANY MLB Bet!
- Caesars New York Promo Code Gives TWO Chances to Win Betting on Your Yankees!
- PointsBet New York Promo: FIVE $100 Bonus Bets to Back the Yankees or Mets!
- Caesars NY Promo: $1,250 Bonus to Celebrate the Return of Judge!
The Jets ended up taking Darnold with the third overall pick, one spot after Barkley.
Now, no matter what happens, their careers will be compared throughout their tenures in New York.
Also, whether those comparisons are fair or not, is a completely different question. One player is amazing and not getting talked about enough, one has been forgettable.
Let’s start with the latter.
Sam Darnold has been arguably the worst of the five quarterbacks selected in the first round.
In Week 14 vs. Buffalo, in a rookie vs. rookie matchup with Josh Allen, Darnold will return and can avenge this point a little bit with a win.
There are no true playoff implications for this game, but still interesting to see these two young guns duke it out.
Darnold has been ranks 2nd to last in the NFL in QBR at 32.2.
He is 33/34 in eligible quarterbacks in completion percentage.
He has thrown just 11 touchdowns, one more than Jameis Winston who has started just 4 games. Despite missing two games, Darnold leads the NFL with 14 interceptions.
This has been a problem with Darnold since college.
He throws a lot of interceptions. His first NFL pass was a pick 6. Right now, for the Giants perspective, it’s impossible to say that Darnold would’ve been a better pick than Barkley.
Rarely do athletes live up to the hype that Barkley had surrounding him.
He has surpassed these expectations and looks like the most important piece of the Giants offense.
Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram all take a back seat to Barkley.
Here are Barkley’s stats so far this season:
- 4th in NFL in rushing yards (829 yards)
- 6th in longest rush of the season (68 yards)
- 7th most receptions in the league (yes, this includes some receivers) players he has more catches then:
- He is 3rd overall in yards from scrimmage, trailing only Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliott
Barkley has been the most consistent offensive player for the Giants.
Despite a brutal offensive line, Barkley has still gets the job done. Barkley > Darnold, always and forever.