PFF Identifies the Giants Worst Personnel Decision in Last 5 Years
Before his season-ending torn ACL, Giants running back Saquon Barkley was everything the scouts said he was and then some.
Yet Pro Football Focus, in its article on the worst personnel decision by every team in the last five years, has named Barkley, chosen No. 2 overall in 2018, as the Giants' worst draft pick over that period, noting,
Not really much of a debate here. Saquon has been pretty much as advertised, too. It just hasn’t moved the needle. The 2020 season made it fairly evident how much his play mattered to the win column.
The Giants' inability to win games combined with the on-going struggles to find the right offensive line combination hasn't done much to quell the rumbling that Giants general manager Dave Gettleman errored by not taking a quarterback or trading down to acquire additional picks in that 2018 draft
For his part, Gettleman admitted in the past that he misjudged the talent on the team when he first came in as general manager. He has stated that he thought the team could be competitive while rebuilding.
In thinking that the team was closer than it probably was, I suspect that's a big reason why the Giants drafted Barkley, viewing him as one of a few missing pieces.
Well, hindsight is 20/20, and we now know (not that there was ever any doubt) that the Giants grossly misjudged the talent they had on that roster. And you wonder if the Giants had the view of that roster that they do today, would they have still drafted Barkley or maybe sought o trade down to acquire more picks.
Either way, it looks like the Giants have learned from their mistakes. Last year they sunk significant premium resources into their offensive line, which many will probably agree is a process that should have been started a lot sooner.
Oh, and in case this is lost on anyone, by addressing the offensive line right away, last year's running game had its most productive season--even without Barkley in the lineup.
New York finished with its highest average yards per game since Barkley was drafted in 2018. New York averaged 110.5 yards/game in 2020 and tied the 2018 season's 13 rushing touchdown total.
Barkley has come as advertised, and there will be a role for him once he's cleared medically to return. I suspect he'll be even more productive behind this offensive line, even though the line is still a work in progress.
But I can't help but wonder if Gettleman had to do it all over again, knowing what he knows now, would he have drafted Barkley or traded down to acquire more assets and restock what was otherwise a bare cupboard resulting from years of poor draft decisions.
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