5 burning questions the New York Giants need to answer in 2018
By Daniel Stave
4. Is Saquon Barkley worth the hype?
Barkley is one of the best running back prospects in years. He’s the first running back to be taken in the top two since Reggie Bush in 2006. Higher than Adrian Peterson, Ezekiel Elliott, and Leonard Fournette.
The Penn St. product was extremely productive in college. He posted 5,038 combined rushing and receiving yards and 51 touchdowns in three seasons in Happy Valley.
Barkley put an exclamation point on his status as an elite prospect with one of the best performances of any prospect at the NFL combine. At 233 pounds, Barkley ran a 4.40 40-yard dash, put up 29 reps on the bench press, and posted a 41-inch vertical jump.
The value of running backs has come into question in recent years, and plenty of people thought drafting Eli Manning’s successor should have been a higher priority with the No. 2 pick (we’ll get to that later).
But no one questioned that Barkley is an elite prospect.
The Giants have been hindered by a lack of a running game in recent years. They haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Ahmad Bradshaw in 2012. Orleans Darkwa, Wayne Gallman, Shane Vereen, and Paul Perkins split carries in 2017 after Rashad Jennings was released following the 2016 season.
The team saw the opportunity to add a potentially-elite running back and took it. It would be a surprise if Barkley is not a very good player, and a clear upgrade from a weak position for the Giants the last few years.