Why Saquon Barkley Was A Better Pick Than A Quarterback.

Saquon Barkley does not need me to write this article to validate him. 

He is, without question, already one of the most exciting players to watch, routinely making the national highlight reels game after game with plays that defy the imagination. 

While scoring two touchdowns, overlooked was a 30 yard run where he made two defender miss, explodes through two, would be, tacklers, before finally being tackled by 3 defenders.

He is leaping over linemen, juking linebackers and overpowering secondaries. 

He does not, however, play the most important position in football.  He does not play quarterback.

The question in the 2018 draft became what quarterback should go first?  The gamer in Baker Mayfield?  The groomed product in Sam Darnold?  The athlete in Josh Allen?  Maybe the prodigy in Josh Rosen.

Much of the talk surrounding the draft and post draft has been about whether or not Saquon Barkley will end up being a better pick than those quarterbacks, and really, if he's better than all of them. 

After watching the Giants first few games it has become clear to me that Eli Manning is on his last legs and that the offensive line is still a work in progress.  They have started 1-4 and in all likelihood will miss the playoffs. 

But I think they're turnaround will be right around the corner, especially when you look out west at the LA Rams as well as the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Those two teams are currently dominating the league thanks to a two pronged plan that balances a running and passing attack. 

Both have dominant young running backs AND quarterbacks.

I believe that Saquon is the best running back in the league, that if he played on a team with a dominant or balanced team, that there would be no disputing his talent.

If the Giants get their young quarterback next year, I believe they will be just one or two years from becoming a dominant force in the league for years to come.

I believe that right now the new crop of quarterbacks entering the league are far better than the ones exiting, and you are just as likely to get a franchise QB in next year's draft as you were in this one. 

For arguments sake, let's say the Giants miraculously turn around their season. There are at least six quarterbacks that potentially could be drafted in the first round.  Just like last year, it's still a bit of a crap shoot as to who will have the best career.

If the Giants finish with one of the six worst records in the NFL, then there is an incredibly high chance that they could draft a "Franchise" quarterback next year.  However there is not another Saquon Barkley.  There really isn't anything close.  His combination of size, speed, agility, hands and intangibles hasn't been seen in the NFL for some time.  Some have compared him to LaDainian Tomlinson and Barry Sanders. 

I acknowledge that quarterback is a more important position than running back, but I think it's also important to acknowledge that the position is far harder to grade than running back.  The closest thing there was to a first round pick was Peyton Manning and even in that draft some analysts thought Ryan Leaf was close to being better.

While players like Carson Wentz and Jarrod Goff look like MVP's over the past two years, neither looked good during their rookie campaigns. They were, at the very least, inconsistent.

My point being that QB's are as big a risk as ever in the first round and that you are just as likely if not more so to draft a dud in that first spot as you were to hit it big in the late first to early second rounds.

Nothing was closer to a sure thing than Saquon Barkley.  Time will tell whether or not he captures the Hall Of Fame career that many envision for him, but he's far closer to a sure thing than any of the quarterbacks that have been drafted over the past 4 years.