Giants general manager Dave Gettleman is perceived as an old-school type of builder. That perception is not likely to change any time soon after Gettleman selected running back Saquon Barkley with his first pick – No. 2 overall – in the NFL draft Thursday night.
While the running back position is going through something of a renaissance with the selection of Ezekiel Elliott, Todd Gurley and Leonard Fournette in recent years, taking a running back with the No. 2 pick is quite a bold move, and it flies in the face of the belief that all teams need a franchise quarterback to win consistently.
The Giants have Eli Manning, and he clearly is a future Hall of Famer, but the 37-year-old may be very close to the end. Since Gettleman and the Giants had a choice of Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen and Josh Allen, Gettleman is saying that building for the future is not his top priority.
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In many ways, you can understand that argument. Barkley is quite likely the best player in the draft, and there is every chance that he may be better than Elliott or Gurley. Even if he goes through a bit of a learning curve in the NFL, he could be a top-five running back by the end of his rookie season.
There is no team that can use a quality running back more than the Giants. They have been devoid of a solid ground attack for years, and that has taken its toll on Manning. Opponents have known the Giants could not deliver a decent running game – let alone a dominant one – so they'd send their pass rushers after him with abandon.
Barkley should change that. He is either a speed runner with power or a dominating power runner with explosive speed. He probably fits the latter category just a bit more, and that's a good thing because he will delight in beating up opposing tacklers.
He is also a brilliant receiver who can tear apart first-rate pass coverage. He has the instincts for catching the ball out of the backfield and the talent to go deep down the field and make acrobatic catches.
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Barkley looks like a potential Pro Bowler even as he begins his career. Opponents will have to respect his talent right from the start.
The beneficiaries should be Manning, wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard, and tight end Evan Engram. A wide-eyed Giants supporter could dream about having an "unstoppable" offense.
That could happen, but the Giants better build up their offensive line in the second and third days of the draft. Yes, taking tackle Nate Solder away from the Patriots with a four-year, $62 million deal was a winning move, but the process of building a top-notch offensive line calls for youth and depth in addition to signing an established star.
It will be difficult to make everyone happy, and when I say "everyone," I mean Beckham. Manning's age means he needs the protection of a running game to keep him healthy. If the Giants can take advantage of Barkley's talent, that means Manning won't be under the gun as much as he has been over the last three years.
If Manning is not passing as much and Beckham is not getting the kind of opportunities that he believes he deserves, the star wide receiver is not going to play the role of boy scout and go along with the program. He has the potential to make life miserable for new coach Pat Shurmur.
I'm not saying that will happen, but it is a possibility for the talented but entitled wideout.
There's risk involved in every pick, but Gettleman is not considering the notion that taking a running back at No. 2 is an outmoded idea.
"You know what I say about that: I think it's a crock," Gettleman said. "At the end of the day, a great player is a great player. (Former Giants general manager) Ernie (Accorsi) and I have talked about it a lot. He's (Barkley) a touchdown maker. He's a threat to take it to the house every time he gets his hand on the ball."
A few years ago, it seemed that running backs were losing their status around the league. Elliott changed that when he was drafted two years ago by the Cowboys with the fourth pick overall.
That selection worked out brilliantly for the Cowboys, and some general managers are no longer afraid to take a running back high in the first round.
Gettleman is one of those general managers, and he gets credit for guts and filling a major need. He also picked a running back high in the first round last year with the Carolina Panthers, taking Christian McCaffrey at No. 8.
But if Darnold, Rosen or Allen become superstars and the Giants don't get their quarterback of the future later in this draft – I advocate for Mason Rudolph of Oklahoma State – the selection of Barkley may not turn out to be the brilliant move it looks like right now.
Follow Steve on Twitter at @Profootballboy
