Jason Burgos
A new report suggests a player the New York Giants have been linked to with the fifth overall pick in the NFL Draft could right the franchise’s greatest wrong, letting Saquon Barkley walk in free agency two years ago.
While the NY Giants have been bad for much of the last decade, to many fans, things hit a new low in March of 2024. In one of the big surprises in free agency that year, not only did the team lose Barkley to another team, but that team was the Philadelphia Eagles.
Adding insult to injury, the star running back earned Pro Bowl honors for the third-time with an MVP-level-performance, and he played a massive role in the Eagles winning that season’s Super Bowl. The player the NY Giants used the second overall pick in 2018 on and developed into a top running back helped the enemy win another championship.
It is a wound many Big Blue fans still haven’t recovered from. However, that infamous mistake could potentially be fixed in April. Over the last week, reports have suggested the NY Giants could use the No.5 pick in the NFL Draft on Notre Dame star Jeremiyah Love.
It is a rumor that has surprised many fans of the team because 2025 rookie Cam Skattebo seemingly proved he could be their RB1 after a strong showing before he suffered a season-ending injury in November. But according to ESPN draft expert Matt Miller, Love can be the next Barkley.
Jeremiyah Love can be the next Saquon Barkley?
During a recent appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, when asked who is the best player in this year’s event, Miller proclaimed it is Love, and it is “not even close.” Patrick then asked how he would compare to Barkley when he came out of Penn State eight years ago. The draft expert said Love’s hype and potential are pretty close to what the former NY Giants back received in 2018.
“I think he’s right there with Bijan Robinson and Saquon as the best running back prospects of the last ten years. Better than [Ashton] Jeanty because he catches the ball… He’s flexing out and running routes, and catching touchdown passes,” Miller said.
Robinson was taken eighth overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2023 NFL Draft, while Jeanty was selected sixth by the Las Vegas Raiders last year.
For NY Giants fans who wish they never let Barkley leave two years ago, drafting Love would give them the chance to get a new, younger version of him, and another game-changing weapon for QB prospect Jaxson Dart.
