When the New York Giants selected Saquon Barkley with the second pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, there was a lot of controversy over the fact that Big Blue didn’t draft Eli Manning’s heir apparent.
Barkley is already considered one of the league’s best running backs and general manager Dave Gettleman had a gold jacket standard when making the decision of who to draft at No. 2 last year.
After his rookie season, Barkley is well on his way to just that. In fact, earlier this week during an interview with Bleacher Report, he said he believed he can be the best ever.
As good as Barkley was last year, Giants fans would prefer some wins instead of yards, and the 2018 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year agrees.
“I’m fine with having only 1,200 yards next year, 1,300 yards next year, but with a 12-4 record,” Barkley said.
Despite all that Barkley has accomplished, some still think the Giants made a massive mistake choosing him, which seems crazy to the star running back.
“That’s mind-boggling to me,” Barkley said. “Because, like, I think that what I was able to show not only on the field, but off the field, that they’d think they made the right decision.”
Barkley had over 2,000 yards from scrimmage during his rookie campaign and it’s not crazy to think that he can improve upon his phenomenal rookie season. After trading Odell Beckham Jr., Barkley will be the focal point of the offense, which should have an improved line next year.
With just eight wins combined in the last two seasons, Big Blue is in desperate need to turn things around fast. The Giants will hope to flip the script and get back to the playoffs in 2019.
