The New York Giants held the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft and — depending on who you ask — fumbled it when they used it to take Penn State running back Saquon Barkley.
Many Giants fans will dispute that, but when presented with a possible ‘re-draft’ scenario, would have done something different with the pick.
In Bleacher Report’s latest 2018 re-draft, analyst Gary Davenport sees the Giants selecting Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson at No. 2 overall.
This one is actually tough. Saquon Barkley has been a great player at times for the Giants over five seasons. Quarterback Daniel Jones, whom the Giants drafted sixth overall the following year, teamed with Barkley to lead the G-Men to the postseason in 2022.
Still, you just don’t pass on drafting an MVP quarterback like Lamar Jackson.
Since that magical season in 2019 when he rushed for a quarterback single-season record 1,206 yards and led the league with 36 touchdown passes, Jackson has been unable to duplicate those gaudy numbers. He has also missed substantial time in each of the past two seasons. But he’s the only quarterback in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back years and one of the most dangerous offensive threats in the league.
That Jackson’s No. 1 receiver in New York in 2018 would have been Odell Beckham Jr. is proof that time is a flat circle.
This is a tough call because both players have been beset by injuries in their careers and many would say neither is worth the second pick.
Part of Jackson’s lure is that he wasn’t taken that high (No. 32 overall by Baltimore) which added to his initial value. Taking him second overall back then would have been controversial and panned by the fans.
