Managing New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley’s health is essential moving forward. General manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur seem to be dedicated to the run game and the utilization of Barkley, who racked up 352 touches in 2018.
Ensuring that Barkley isn’t overused requires the Giants to have a capable backup. Some believe that Wayne Gallman can be the player to take the slack off the star runner, but he struggled to churn out yards last season -3.5 yards per carry. The Giants could look to the 2019 NFL Draft to find their compliment, and they might be able to snag Barkley’s former teammate.
New York Giants: Penn State’s Miles Sanders offers tons of value
Penn State running back Miles Sanders could be the man of the hour in the third/fourth round. In theory, he’s a poor man’s Saquon Barkley, offering immense value in the open field and the ability to change direction on a dime. He racked up an impressive 1,274 yards rushing and 139 receiving yards last season. He also had nine rushing scores.
Slotting him in beside Barkley would allow Shurmur to operate the offense with flow and consistency. Sometimes, putting in a bruiser back can indicate a running play, but having two players with similar skill-sets can be beneficial in terms of rhythm.
NFL.com has Sanders graded as a potential NFL starter. His 4.49 40-yard-dash and impressive agility earn him a mid-round draft grade. Sanders has a solid running back frame at the NFL level and impresses in his decision making.
He lacks the true burst of speed and consistency to pick holes and explode through them. However, he does have loose hips and a wiggly mentality when finding creases at the line of scrimmage.
Other than seeing break away speed this runs shows everything about the running style of Miles Sanders. Cut back ability, vision, balance, yards after contact.@BoobieMilesXXIV @ESFDD @EatSleepFF #PennState #NFL #NFLDraft #NFLDraft2019 @PennStateFball #NittanyLions #MilesSanders pic.twitter.com/ODF1Jv4vEl
— Steven Spaccarotelli (@SteveSpacc) April 6, 2019
If this clip doesn’t look exactly like Barkley…wow. Watch as Sanders scoots out of tackles and finds his way upfield using his balance and blockers. We saw this consistently from the Giants’ 2018 first-round pick in his prolific rookie campaign, but adding Sanders to the mix would be exciting and effective.
A lot of teams have emphasized two quality running backs in an attempt to manage the stress and physical toll of the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons featured Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman – the Viking used Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray – Browns had Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson. Essentially, having the ability to succeed with two different running backs is a method that plenty of teams use to mitigate injury risk. The Giants would be intelligent to find a quality compliment behind Barkley, and Sanders fits the bill perfectly.