New York Giants: Saquon Barkley is both great and wrong for this team

For the New York Giants, it is possible for the selection of Saquon Barkley to be both a great selection and wrong for the Giants future.

It has been an interesting season for the New York Giants. The talk around the team has gone to all ends of the spectrum.

They started 1-7 and all the talk was about making coach Pat Shurmur a one and done. He had no idea what he was doing and it was time to move on from Eli Manning.

Now at 5-10 there is hope. Manning is playing better of late and fans are ready to roll the dice and move ahead for another year.

More from Empire Writes Back

One constant for the entire season has been Saquon Barkley. The second overall pick of the 2018 draft has caused quite a stir.

He has rushed for 1,198 yards and ten touchdowns. Through the air Barkley has added 87 receptions and four more touchdowns.

Barkley should be the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. As a member of the Pro Football Writers of America I get a vote and he will be getting mine.

There is little doubt at this point we will look at Saquon Barkley as a generational running back.

However we must look at the big picture as well.

In the grand scheme of things, Barkley was a great pick. He was also the wrong way to go.

Those two thoughts don’t have to be mutually exclusive. It’s OK to love Barkley on the Giants but acknowledge that they should have gone another way.

Eli Manning is not getting any younger. Yes he is at a career high completion percentage in 2018 at 66%, but he has also been sacked 46 times, a career high.

He is going to start regressing to his average numbers, which put him just at 60%. He is currently 37 years old, it is going to happen.

If Eli is anything like his brother, the fall will happen quickly. Remember how Peyton Manning looked in 2015? After 39 touchdowns the year before, he threw for nine touchdowns vs. 17 interceptions and won the Super Bowl on the back of his defense.

The Giants are all in at this point with Eli and the fact of the matter is that despite the success and the bright future of Barkley, they are not prepared for that inevitability.

Next. Current QBs who could start for the Giants. dark

They had their chance.

Sam Darnold was there. He was sitting on the vine when the Giants went on the clock. It wasn’t as if they were unfamiliar, Darnold did make a pre-draft visit.

In 2019, the draft does not hold the same type of quarterback value. Justin Herbert is a guy that some have compared to Carson Wentz or Marcus Mariota, and not much else behind him in the class.

The Giants drafted a guy in Barkley that will be in their backfield for a very long time. But they didn’t address the long-term situation at quarterback and that’s not good.

It’s OK to love Saquon Barkley and think they messed up by not taking a quarterback at the same time. Those two points don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

Home/New York Giants