After Poor Start, Giants May Regret Drafting Saquon Barkley Instead of Quarterback

The choice not to move on from Eli Manning may haunt Big Blue for years to come.

ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 16:  Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys hits Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium on September 16, 2018 in Arlington, Texas.  (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 16: Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys hits Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium on September 16, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
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Now sitting at 0-2 after a loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, the G-Men from York are in a giant hole.

And, with only a 10 percent chance of reaching the postseason thanks to that rocky start, New York may be regretting the decision to draft running back Saquon Barkley instead of taking a quarterback to replace Eli Manning down the road, if not sooner.

By going with Barkley, the Giants lost out on the chance to get a top prospect like Sam Darnold, Josh Allen or Josh Rosen into their system and learning while Manning still has a little gas left in the tank.

Now, given the joint decision made by general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur, the franchise has no choice but to stick it out with Manning and attempt to make the playoffs despite the long odds.

If they do otherwise the result could be disastrous, as this year’s class of quarterbacks has fewer top prospects than last year’s, meaning that even a high draft pick won’t ensure the Giants find a successor to Manning.

Also, by not having a quarterback that other defenses see as a threat, the talents Barkley brings to the table are diminished because other teams can focus on stuffing the run.

“This is not (yet) to say that the Giants should have played for the future and selected Sam Darnold. Any rookie QB comes with growing pains, and it would have been hard for a fan base coming off the Ben McAdoo era to stomach another inept season, no matter how bright they may come through on the other side of a rebuild,” according to Sports Illustrated. “But by taking the ‘compete in 2018’ road, the Giants have now left themselves in a wildly troubling position for 2019 should this skid continue.”

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