The risk has nothing to do with Barkley. The 6-foot, 233-pound running back was the considered the top talent in this year’s draft class.
The risk the New York Giants took was betting on their 37-year-old quarterback, Eli Manning. The two-time Super Bowl MVP is coming off a subpar season, throwing 19 touchdowns to 13 interceptions.
To be fair, Manning was playing on an offense that was falling apart in 2017.
The G-Men were decimated by injuries. Big Blue’s offensive line struggled to run-block and in pass protection. New York’s ground game was non-existent.