Dave Gettleman, an old-school “see talent, know talent” kind of evaluator, shoved aside analytics and the idea that positional value pushed down the importance of running backs by selecting Saquon Barkley No. 2 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Gettleman’s choice still has the NFL community divided. Some believe he did the right thing, simply selecting the player he thought was the best one regardless of position. Others think value dictates that Gettleman should have chosen a quarterback or defensive end Bradley Chubb and gotten a running back later.
ESPN got NFL executives to anonymously comment on the drafts of all of the NFL’s teams.