The New York Giants front office is reportedly split on who to pick if both Sam Darnold and Saquon Barkley are on the board at No. 2.
There’s reportedly a divide in the New York Giants front office on who to select to with the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft.
SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano reports that if both USC quarterback Sam Darnold and Penn State running back Saquon Barkley are on the board when the Giants select at No. 2, that the team’s front office is split on which player to select with the pick.
“Many people think Darnold is the one guy that has sold Gettleman,” Vacchiano said in his article for SNY. If the Browns take Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen at 1, Darnold will be in play because there are some in the organization who think passing on a franchise quarterback would be nuts.”
Over the last few weeks, both Darnold and Barkley have been reported to be the most likely guys the Giants will pick with the second pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Paul Schwartz of The New York Post reported last week that a scout told him that Giants general manager Dave Gettleman views Barkley as a “near-perfect prospect,” and believes Barkley is Gettleman’s guy at No. 2.
It was reported by Matt Lombardo of NJ Advance Media a couple weeks ago that if Darnold is available at No. 2, the Giants will take the quarterback, according to an anonymous source.
Barkley is clearly the No. 1 player on the Giants’ board reports Vacchiano and is the player the Giants brass feels can make the team an offensive juggernaut.
“They think building around an offensive core of Barkley, tight end Evan Engram and Odell Beckham Jr. could make them an offensive juggernaut for years to come,” Vacchiano states. “Yes, taking him would indicate they believe Eli Manning really does have “years” remaining of high-level play, as new head coach Pat Shurmur has said, and that they’re confident they can find another way to tab his successor. But Barkley is such an incredible talent and person in their eyes, it may overshadow any quarterback concerns.”
Barkley will “most likely” be the pick for the Giants if Darnold is taken with the first overall pick by the Browns according to Vacchiano.
If the Giants do decide to use the No. 2 pick to bring in Manning’s successor at quarterback, Darnold is not the only option.
Vacchiano reports that a scout told him “not to rule out” UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen as a potential selection for the Giants at No. 2.
NC State defensive end/outside linebacker Bradley Chubb and Notre Dame offensive lineman Quenton Nelson are other prospects that have been talked about as options for the Giants with the second pick in the draft.
Vacchiano states in his story for SNY that both Chubb or Nelson would only be options for the Giants if they decide to trade down in or out of the top-five picks in the draft.
With less than a week left until the draft, things are heating up for the New York Giants sitting with the No. 2 overall pick. Whatever they decide to do with the pick will heavily impact the rest of the first round.
