With The First Pick
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2018 NFL Mock Draft: Super Bowl LII and Senior Bowl Edition

By Maxwell Ogden

MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 27: Baker Mayfield #6 of the North team throws the ball during the first half of the Reese's Senior Bowl against the the South team at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 27, 2018 in Mobile, Alabama. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 27: Baker Mayfield #6 of the North team throws the ball during the first half of the Reese's Senior Bowl against the the South team at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 27, 2018 in Mobile, Alabama. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 30: Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions rushes the football against the Washington Huskies during the second half of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Nittany Lions defeated the Huskies 35-28. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 30: Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions rushes the football against the Washington Huskies during the second half of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Nittany Lions defeated the Huskies 35-28. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Saquon Barkley. 2. player. 31. . Running Back. Penn State

The ideal scenario for the New York Giants would be to trade back and potentially utilize multiple first-round draft picks to address the offensive line. If we’re to assume that no trades will be made, however, then New York needs to find a player who can handle the pressure of going No. 2.

Finding a quarterback may be the top priority with Eli Manning now 37 years old, but New York can afford to take the best talent on the board and wait until Round 2 for a QB.

The Giants finished the 2017 regular season ranked No. 26 in rushing yards and No. 28 in rushing touchdowns. It’s run for a grand total of 12 rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons combined, and hasn’t produced a 1,000-yard rusher since 2012.

Some of that blame goes to the offensive line, but the Giants have simply lacked adequate talent at the running back position for five painful years.

Saquon Barkley is the type of dynamic playmaker who could help New York turn the offense around in just one season. He can grind his way between the tackles and break outside when the interior collapses, and is one of the most skilled pass-catchers at his position.

I understand the trepidation, but having a talented defense and two dynamic skill players in Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr. would immediately change the culture.

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