'Pick your poison': One NFL landing spot reminds Saquon Barkley of Penn State

As Joe Moorhead's offense captivated college football and defenses scurried to find an answer, the phrase "pick your poison" was thrown around week in, week out by Penn State players and opponents alike.

Well, those three words came out of Saquon Barkley's mouth yet again Saturday afternoon. But he wasn't talking about the lethal combo of himself and Trace McSorley.

No, Barkley was thinking about how much his former situation with Penn State could mirror a future pairing with the New York Giants.

"I think I would have the success I had in college," the consensus All-American said after praising Odell Beckham Jr., Eli Manning and the rest of New York's offensive weapons. "You don't want to load the box because the wide receiving corps is so dangerous, and if I went up there and had success, you'd have to factor in the run game. It's kind of a two-man game if I'd be able to have success.

"What are you going to do? It's pick your poison."

The possibility of what Barkley pondered is real. The Giants, sitting at No. 2 overall behind the Cleveland Browns, might pluck him out of Pennsylvania. Mock drafts by ESPN's Todd McShay, USA Today, Bleacher Report and more have the Giants calling Barkley's name on April 26 in Dallas.

If that ends up being the case, Barkley likes what he'd be working with.

Manning, even at age 37, "has a lot left in the tank and is an extraordinary player," and Beckham "is the most exciting player in the NFL over the last three or four years," Barkley said. Beckham missed all but four games in 2017 — but from 2014-16, he and Manning connected for 4,122 yards and 35 touchdowns.

In that span, the Giants ranked 23rd, 19th and 29th in rushing offense. Their leading ball-carriers — Andre Williams and Rashad Jennings — never cracked 1,000 yards in a season, averaging 725.7 per year. Not great.

Now, Barkley isn't hell-bent on landing with the Giants. It would undoubtedly be a good fit, but he said all the teams at the top of the draft are "a couple of pieces away" from contending.

"They're very close," Barkley added. "I just hope whichever team drafts me, I can come in and be a spark."

This story was originally published March 25, 2018 at 12:03 PM with the headline "'Pick your poison': One NFL landing spot reminds Saquon Barkley of Penn State."