Sony Michel’s ‘medical concerns’ could help other RBs

1. Saquon Barkley

There’s zero doubt in anyone’s mind who the top running back in this year’s draft is. Former Penn State star Saquon Barkley is absolutely the cream of this year’s crop.

Given his status as a top-five pick, you may be wondering why Michel’s potential drop might impact his status. The reality is that teams who were eyeing Michel as an alternative to Barkley might now swing back towards the draft’s top running back. In other words, they may view the gap between Barkley and whoever they believe to be the class’ next back to be too great to pass on the Nittany Lions star.

Personally, Michel was the second-best back in this class. He wasn’t necessarily near Barkley’s level as a prospect, but he was close enough to justify passing on the price required to acquire Barkley. Without him as a legitimate No. 2 option to select, teams are going to have to either move decisively for Barkley or get comfortable with another, lesser player.

It’s possible that the Giants could remove the possibility of this scenario occurring by simply taking Barkley with the No. 2 pick. At the moment, it seems more likely that Dave Gettleman will opt for Brandon Chubb at that spot.

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If Barkley does fall to at least the third spot, all hell may break loose. Quite a few teams will be interested in making a bold move up to secure the talented back in the entire Draft. Michel’s absence from that equation could increase another team’s desperation quite a bit.