The New York Giants took a huge risk selecting running back Saquon Barkley in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and the early returns are troubling.
From the moment they made Saquon Barkley the second-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the New York Giants were going out on a limb. Yes, the running back excelled at Penn State and wowed at the Combine. However, if you’re taking a running back in the first round — much less with the No. 2 pick — you better be sure that he’s a game-changer from Day 1.
It was hard to disparage the Giants for taking it slow throughout the preseason as he dealt with minor injuries. They were protecting their investment, but it was still a cause for concern for fans. And as it turned out, there were more causes for concern to come once their Week 1 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In the first half, Barkley certainly was given some work, but he did little-to-nothing with it. The rookie back took seven carries for just 11 yards through the first two quarters of work. Things didn’t really improve early in the second half as Barkley took his next five carries for 14 yards — which included a 10-yard run that boosted that per-carry average.
Put simply, Saquon Barkley did not look like a game-changer to start his career. Granted, his offensive line, which is improved from where the Giants were last year, doesn’t look good or capable of holding up against a good defense. What’s more, this is the Jaguars defense we’re talking about, one of the best overall units in the league.
Having said that, if you’re taking a running back with the second-overall pick, you want him to be a player that can make an impact with every single touch and make plays by himself. With what Barkley has shown early on against the Jaguars, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
We’ve seen rookie running backs take some time to get going before. The speed of the game and all that goes into playing in the NFL takes some adjusting. Even still, the Giants better hope that things get better with Barkley moving forward. If not, their big risk could put them in a big hole.
Add us as a preferred source on Google