pick at quarterback is... Eli

THE GIANTS believe in Eli.

The decision to take Penn State running back Saquon Barkley with the second overall pick in Thursday’s draft was hardly shocking, but with plenty of quarterbacks available to choose as the potential heir to Eli Manning, going with Barkley still leaves the question of what the future holds for the Giants at the most important position.

Manning is 37 years old and has two years remaining on his contract, while his backup, Davis Webb, continues to be a work in progress.

So is Manning the Giants’ long-term plan at quarterback?

“He’s going to play,” GM Dave Gettleman said. “What do you want me to tell you? He’s our quarterback. We believe in him.”

The decision not to take a quarterback also comes after a three-day voluntary minicamp in which Manning did not look very sharp — especially on Tuesday, when he was often overthrowing receivers — but Gettleman came away feeling positive about his quarterback.

“He threw the hell out of the ball for three days. He has not lost one bit of arm strength,” he said. “You have to stop worrying about age . . . some guys are just freaks.”

Whether or not Manning can play beyond the remainder of his contract, Gettleman said, “we’ll find out.”

Webb, 23, remains the potential successor, but head coach Pat Shurmur stopped short in giving him a vote of confidence following the decision to take Barkley.

“I don’t know,” Shurmur said. “We loved what we saw this (week). He got better every day.”

The Giants passed on Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen and Josh Allen. They may not pick this high again in the near future, but Gettleman said it would have been dangerous to talk himself into one of those quarterbacks.

“If you have to try and make yourself fall in love with a player, it’s wrong,” he said. “You will never be happy with the pick.” Barkley was a much easier decision. Both Gettleman and Shurmur felt the Penn State running back was the best player in the draft, with the GM even saying he hasn’t seen someone like Barkley in a long time.

Gettleman so strongly believes in Barkley that he feels he can have a similar effect that a quarterback has on a team.

“When we were in here before, talking about quarterbacks, do they make everybody better?” he asked. “This kid makes our quarterback better, he makes our wide receivers better, he makes the O-line better and makes our defense better because of his much stronger ability to hold the ball.”

It is no surprise Gettleman would feel that way, considering his “gold jacket” standard when it came to the No. 2 pick, a reference to a Hall of Fame inductee’s attire.

Barkley also seems to understand the situation he is in.

Moments after donning his Big Blue hat and jersey in Dallas, he was asked on TV about his new quarterback.

“I believe in Eli,” he said.