With Shurmur as coach Giants should draft Barkley number 1

It's looking like the New York Giants are going to hire Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to be their next head coach. Having covered Shurmur when he was working in Philadelphia with Donovan McNabb, Nick Foles and Sam Bradford, then seeing what he's doing in Minnesota with Case Keenum, he truly lives up to his reputation as a "quarterback whisperer". Let him whisper to Davis Webb. Take Saquon Barkley with the second pick in the draft.

Very few players are described as "generational" and that's the common word describing Barkley. Should a running back be taken with the number two pick? Maybe, how about a "generational" running back? Definitely. How did taking Leonard Fournette with the fourth pick turn out for Jacksonville? Or Ezekiel Elliot with again the fourth overall pick?

When the Giants drafted Eli Manning in 2004 even though they had Kerry Collins three years removed from a Super Bowl, it was because general manager Ernie Accorsi was blown away with Manning. He was the great white whale he had to have and traded multiple picks to get him. I'm not hearing about the Giants "being blown away" by any of these quarterback possibilities. I'm hearing Paul Dottino tell WFAN listeners that Davis Webb "checks all the boxes" and that Eli's been mentoring him and the organization is high on him. If you remember the fans and media were also high on Webb as they begged to see him in the final weeks of the season.

I'm seeing the San Francisco 49ers trade out of selecting one of these QB's by acquiring Jimmy Garappolo. I'm seeing Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel pass up the chance to develop a QB taken by the Giants to work with Andrew Luck in Indianapolis supposedly. I'm also imagining a Giants offense with Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr giving defenses fits.

Giants general manager Dave Gettleman said in his inaugural press conference that "You got to run the ball, you got to stop the run, you got to pressure the passer." He also likes Eli. Pat Shurmur attended Manning's passing academy and can hit the ground running with Eli at quarterback. As for who should be doing that running, I say draft Saquon Barkley.

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