What this NFL Draft could bring to New York

With such an abysmal, lackluster of a season the New York Giants had last year, big blue fans finally have a thirst of excitement to treat.

The 2018 NFL Draft is here.

For every struggling team—the draft simultaneously always feels as the opportunity to get your team over the hump, and into the super bowl.

In just a couple of hours, the Giants will pick second overall—the question is, who will they choose?

Saquon Barkley, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, including Bradley Chubb are all said to be high on New York’s radar.

The Giants are in desperate need of a quality offensive line, a quarterback, as the heyday of Eli Manning comes to a screeching halt and lastly, a running back.

With the exception of last season, New York is known for its defensive tenacity. Following the trade of Jason Pierre-Paul, drafting a pass-rusher such as Chubb seemed like a no-brainer. In fact, Dave Gettleman’s history suggests he may select a defensive player. Gettleman selected a defensive player three out of his four first-round draft picks as the Carolina Panthers GM.

Nevertheless, this is a heavy quarterback draft class and Manning is aging.

The eye-opening move would be to draft a successor for Manning. Rosen is probably the purest pocket passer in the draft and possesses the best mechanics, while Darnold is probably the better passer on the run. However, the Giants seem to have their sights set on one last ride with Manning.

That would lead one to believe the Giants may pick a running back—right?

New York has not had a 1,000-yard rusher since Ahmad Bradshaw in 2011. In addition, it has not had a pro bowl rusher since Tiki Barber in 2006. The 234-pound junior, Barkley came second to Rashaad Penny with 2,329 all-purpose yards in college football last season.

Now, in the pros, I could not imagine he would return kicks, but Barkley’s versatility would seem to be the equalizer to balance the offense.

I mentioned earlier that the Giants needed an offensive line upgrade. Barkley, who would be Manning’s last line of defense as a pass blocker, in fact, is an excellent pass blocker. He is also capable of catching the ball out of the back field and lining up in the slot position.

The addition of Barkley merely adds to the list of electrifying players for the Giants offensively, which is highlighted by Odell Beckham, Jr.

If you are the Giants, you cannot go wrong selecting any of these top mock draft picks, although, as Beckham, Barkley is a generational player.