NFL Draft 2018: 5 Teams that improved the most for this season
New York Giants
The New York Giants are in win-now mode as they opted to go all in on Eli Manning. Their improvement mostly comes from two major additions on the offensive side of the ball. The easiest pick to make in the draft was taking the running back many experts consider to be the best back to come out of college since Adrain Peterson, Saquon Barkley. There’s no doubt that new head coach Pat Shurmur will make Barkley the featured attraction.
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When he briefly coached the Browns, Trent Richardson was fed the rock and finished the year with 11 rushing touchdowns — despite being somewhat less than stellar as a player. When he moved on to the Eagles, under Chip Kelley they were a well balanced team and LeSean McCoy ran the ball 314 times and had caught 52 passes. Last season, the Vikings finished seventh in rushing offense and almost rode that wave to the Super Bowl.
So, Barkley will be a day one contributor. Barkley’s success will be linked to the second best offensive guard in the 2018 draft class, Will Hernandez. Hernandez’s strength is his ability to run block, but he isn’t limited to just that. Guard play is an undervalued asset for offensive lines, but Giants fans will appreciate what he’ll bring especially. With the addition of Nate Solder, they’ll make a fantastic duo.
With the return of Sterling Shepard and Odell Beckham Jr. and the maturation of the dynamic tight end Evan Ingram, Manning and the entire offense will have a jolt of energy, a resurgence that will make them feared amongst their NFC East rivals. Defensively, they added a few necessary pieces that will give their defense a boost, including Georgia linebacker Lorenzo Carter whose a natural fit in the 3-4 as an outside linebacker and should provide pressure early.