This New York Giants Player Lands in CBS Sports' "Top 25 Under 25" List

The Giants have been trying to build a solid young core of players. But if one list is to be believed, they have more work to do.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
May 29, 2021 5:28 PM EDT

The New York Giants have been trying to get younger and better of late, but if one man’s opinion is to be believed, the team still has a ways to go in terms of improving the youth.

Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports released his top 25 NFL players under 25-years-old this week, and one player only represents the Giants.

That would be running back Saquon Barkley, who, despite coming back from a torn ACL, is still considered one of the top young players in the league.

(The list did not include anyone from this year’s draft class, and to be eligible, the player had to be under the age of 25 as of Week 1 of the upcoming season.)

Barkley landed at No. 14 on this list, an interesting ranking because of his limited production (thanks partly to the prior coaching staff’s struggles to optimize his talents) and the ACL injury. Notes Benjamin:

Why isn't he higher? Well, it's not easy championing a guy who averaged 1.8 yards per carry in two games before blowing out his knee in 2020, not to mention at a position more dependent on other factors. Why isn't he lower? Regardless of the position, Barkley remains a truly freakish athlete. Fully healthy, he's a dual-threat who can change an entire game with his speed and power.

For what it’s worth, 24-year-old Darius Slayton just missed the cut after experiencing a sophomore slump last season that was largely a result of some injuries he was nursing that, while not necessarily keeping him out of action, clearly affected his performance.

Beyond that, No other Giant earned consideration for next year’s list, nor did any Giant player get an honorable mention for the just too old” section of the list.

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