After months of speculation surrounding his future, Saquon Barkley officially landed in the NFL when the New York Giants selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
BREAKING: Saquon Barkley is selected No. 2 overall by the New York Giants. pic.twitter.com/eIy38wh1KS
He becomes the seventh Penn Stater picked in the top five of the NFL draft since 1990. Ki-Jana Carter was selected No. 1 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1995, five years after the New York Jets selected Blair Thomas with the second overall pick. Curtis Enis and Levi Brown were selected No. 5 overall in 1998 and 2007, respectively, while Courtney Brown and LaVar Arrington famously went No. 1 and No. 2 overall in 2000.
To put it simply, Barkley fits like a glove on the New York Giants, who went 3-13 last season. The Giants struggles in many areas during their dismal 2017 campaign, in part due to the team’s lack of a running attack.
Only six teams had worse rushing attacks than the Giants last season as they averaged just 96.8 rushing yards per game. Orleans Darkwa led the team in rushing yards with 751 yards on the ground, but he was not brought back in free agency. Paul Perkins was the best active back on the roster entering the offseason, but the team added Jonathan Stewart as a free agent.
Stewart is a solid veteran pickup that can still play; he put up 680 rushing yards in 15 games for the Panthers last season. He led the team in rushing in each of the three seasons prior to last year, but moved on to New York after ten seasons as a Panther. His best season came in 2009, when he rushed for over 1,100 yards while splitting time with DeAngelo Williams.
At 31 years old, Stewart is clearly not the future of the Giants’ at running back. Saquon Barkley is, and if he isn’t immediately ready to be a full-time NFL starter, Stewart can step in and take some of the rushing responsibilities off of the rookie. Barkley instantly stepping in as a bona fide NFL back for the Giants is a scary prospect for the rest of the NFC East and transforms the Giants’ rushing attack.
The Giants’ first round of OTAs following the draft will take place on May 21. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Saquon Barkley will be there for his first team activities as a professional football player.
