The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Giants open to trading No. 2 pick
INDIANAPOLIS — Penn State’s Saquon Barkley no doubt fits the wellrounded, running back prototype Giants coach Pat Shurmur described Wednesday for a position he believes is critical to any offense.
“I think certainly I have a high opinion of what a running back brings to an offense, but I also have a very (strong belief) that that guy has to be able to run the ball, he has to be able to pass protect, and he has to be able to catch,” Shurmur said at the NFL Combine.
But it wasn’t totally clear if Shurmur thinks it’s wise to select a running back at No. 2 overall in April’s draft. And that is the question right now, isn’t it, as the Giants appear to be keeping their options open:
If GM Dave Gettleman and Shurmur don’t draft a quarterback, what will they do at two? Gettleman interestingly left the door open to a potential trade down in the first round. “Are we open for business? Any decision I make’s gonna be in the best interest of the New York football Giants, plain and simple,” Gettleman said. “So if someone makes me an offer I can’t refuse, would I move back? It depends upon who’s there.”
But the GM qualified that his decision will have everything to do with the answer to a simple question: is there a future Hall of Famer, a “generational player” as Shurmur said, who is a can’t-miss star? Because if that player exists and he’s still on the board after Cleveland picks first, then it wouldn’t be a tough decision for Gettleman at all.
“If there’s a guy worthy of being the second pick of a draft - and what we’re basically saying if we answer that question to the affirmative, you’re drafting what you think’s gonna be a Hall of Fame player - you can’t get too cute about the whole thing,” Gettleman said. “You know what I’m saying?”
And that brings us to Barkley, whose hype is overshadowed only by the potentially unprecedented depth of this year’s quarterback class. He has Barry Sanders-like moves and Ray Rice-esque leg power and is considered the total package, from his game to his character. The team that picks him will get an immediate, high-end contributor.
The Giants would see this for themselves Thursday night in their interview with Barkley in Indianapolis, one of 60 15-minute interviews allotted to each NFL team to meet their prospective picks in person.
And while the Browns own both the first- and fourth-overall picks, as Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson said Wednesday: “Do we need to add quarterbacks to our roster? Yes we do.”
Then come the Giants at No. 2. With Gettleman and Shurmur doubling down on Eli Manning, 37, having “years left” in his career, and Shurmur lauding Davis Webb’s work ethic this offseason, the Giants’ focus with the second overall pick easily could become more about improving the team around Manning rather than planning for life after him.
“We’re looking forward to moving forward with Eli, but certainly with the second pick in the draft, we want to draft a player worthy of that pick,” Shurmur said. “The last time the Giants had the second pick in the draft, they picked Lawrence Taylor. The last time they had the third pick in the draft they picked Carl Banks. And those were two franchisechanging players. So I think we’ve got to keep an open mind on this, and we certainly want to make our team better. And I think that’s the approach we’re taking.”