If the New York Giants are going to select Eli Manning’s eventual replacement in the 2018 NFL Draft, it’s not going to be with the second overall pick, according to reports.
It appears the New York Giants and general manager Dave Gettleman have narrowed their search down to three players they will select from with the No. 2 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
“The strong feeling is the Giants will have running back Saquon Barkley, guard Quenton Nelson and defensive end Bradley Chubb as their highest-rated players (not necessarily in that order),” reports Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “So, it would go against their draft-day rules at No. 2 to take a quarterback not rated as the No. 1, 2 or 3 player on their board.”
Rumors have connected both Barkley and Nelson with the Giants for the past few months. Industry consensus is that Barkley is the best player in the draft.
The Penn State running back has all the tools, as he showed at the NFL Combine. Barkley has the speed, strength, agility, and athleticism that makes him as “complete and clean as they come,” as ESPN’s Todd McShay wrote in late January.
Barkley himself believes he’s undoubtedly the best player in the draft, as he explained to NFL Network’s Kim Jones at Penn State’s Pro Day.
“Yes mam,” Barkley said.
Barkley would automatically upgrade the Giants’ position at running back.
The Giants did sign Jonathan Stewart in free agency but have question marks at running with unproven players in Wayne Gallman and Paul Perkins.
Barkley has the ability to impact the Giants in a way that running backs like Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott, and Leonard Fournette have had for their respective teams, and make Big Blue into a playoff-caliber team.
Nelson, meanwhile, is regarded as the best offensive lineman in this year’s draft. Some, like Dane Brugler of NFLDraftScout.com, told SB Nation’s Dan Kadar that he believes Nelson is the draft’s top talent.
“I’m not saying I would take him No. 1, but he’s a better guard than any player is at their position in this draft. He’s a dominant player you project as a plug-and-play. He’s nasty. He’s going to come in Day 1, and you’re going to start him and not worry about the position for a long time.”
Nelson has been compared to fellow Notre Dame alum and current Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Zack Martin by many scouts.
The G-Men did address the offensive line, which has been an issue for years, in free agency by signing left tackle Nate Solder and guard Patrick Omameh. Adding Nelson to the mix could help solidify things. Nelson and Solder would make a great guard/tackle combo on the left-side of the line.
Chubb is a new name thrown into the mix, but an intriguing option.
With pass rushers like Olivier Vernon, Jason Pierre-Paul and recently signed Kareem Martin, the Giants are deep at the defensive end and outside linebacker spots.
As most would say though, you can’t have enough pass rushers. Adding Chubb, regarded as the best pass-rusher in the draft, would certainly give the Giants another force off the edge.
Most importantly, he’s not a one-trick pony but rather an all-around defender with the ability to rush the passer and stuff the run.
In new defensive coordinator James Bettcher’s 3-4 scheme, Chubb could thrive at either the defensive end or outside linebacker spot. He could become the Chandler Jones of the Giants’ defense.
Of course, trading the No. 2 pick is not out of the question either.
After the New York Jets traded up to the No. 3 pick with the Indianapolis Colts, the Giants are in a great situation at No. 2 where they can get a great haul of draft picks from a team in desperate need of a franchise quarterback.
