Sam Darnold. Saquon Barkley. Two players who will be forever linked because of circumstance. When the New York Giants made the decision to pass on the quarterback from the University of Southern California to select the running back from Penn State University, they set the template for years worth of columns, radio show topics and caller gripes. Should Barkley not live up to the promise and/or should Darnold develop into a Pro Bowl caliber quarterback, Giants fans will continue to point to that moment and that decision as a reason for future failures by the organization.
With the Giants set to face Darnold and the New York Jets on Friday night, you can expect the volume to be turned up a bit on this question.