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The New York Giants passed on an heir apparent to two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning and took a running back that many think is the best to come out of college in decade.

The Giants selected Penn State's Saquon Barkley with the second pick overall Authentic Mats Zuccarello Jersey , a player many football experts consider the best running back to enter the NFL since Adrian Peterson came out of Oklahoma in 2007.

Barkley, who entered the draft after his junior season, has all the ingredients to become a great. He has quickness, speed, strength, character and can pass protect. He also can catch and is a dynamic returner, although the Giants don't plan on using him as the top returner.

Giants general manager Dave Gettleman said he hasn't seen a player like Barkley in almost three decades. He has the speed and feet of the little guy with the power and strength of a big guy.

"This kid makes our quarterback better," Gettleman said. "He makes our wide receivers better. He makes our O-line better. He makes our defense better because we'll have a much stronger ability to hold the ball. He is a great kid and he is going to be great for our culture. He was the unanimous best player in the draft."

The Giants didn't take long to make their selection once the Cleveland Browns took Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield at No. 1.

Gettleman quipped he would have made the pick sooner but the league mandates teams wait five minutes before picking.

"At the end of the day, a great player is a great player," said Gettleman, who called the pick easy. "He is a touchdown maker. He is a threat to take it to the house every time he gets his hands on the ball."

The Giants need help, coming off a 3-13 season that cost coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese their jobs.

Drafting Barkley gives new coach Pat Shurmur a player who can do it all Daniel Winnik Jersey , while showing the Giants believe the 37-year-old Manning has more in the tank.

"He is our quarterback, we believe in him," Gettleman said of Manning. "He threw the hell out of the ball for three days (minicamp). He has not lost one bit of arm strength."

Shurmur expects Barkley to be an every-down player, but first he has to learn the offense, which is more diverse than the one Penn State employed.

"If he is the best Saquon he can be, then he will find his way into the lineup and he will find a way to help lead this team," Shurmur said. "That's the challenge for him."

Gettleman expects Barkley to meet the challenge. He recalled watching video of a game earlier this season when he got to the second level and was confronted by two linebackers and a safety. He put together three moves and left them in the dust.

"I watched it and saw all the other stuff and just put the clicker down and went to the next guy," Gettleman said.

He'd seen enough.

By the time Barkley spoke to reporters in New Jersey in a conference call, he had received welcoming texts from Manning and receiver Odell Beckham Jr., whom he had recently trained with in Los Angeles. He said he felt at home after his visit with the Giants.

"I know that I have to work my butt off every single day to get to where I want to go," Barkley said. "And it's not going to happen in one day. It's going to take baby steps and it's going to take a long trip up that mountain, but every single day I'm willing to work."

In three seasons Womens Lamar Jackson Jersey , Barkley finished as Penn State's second all-time leading rusher with 3,843 yards, including 1,271 this past season when he scored 138 points. He had 18 rushing touchdowns, pushing his career total to school-record 43. His 53 overall touchdowns also are a school record.

Coming out of the backfield, he had 54 receptions this past season. His 1,195 career yards receiving is a school record for a running back.

Barkley ended his career as the school's career all-purpose yards leader with 5,538 yards.

Orleans Darkwa led the Giants with 751 yards rushing in 2017, running behind a weak offense line.

By the way, the last time the Giants had the No. 2 overall pick was in 1981. The late George Young selected Lawrence Taylor.

Anthony Duclair is a bit embarrassed about bouncing around to various teams and taking a league-minimum, one-year deal.

Duclair signed a $650,000 contract Friday for next season with the Columbus Blue Jackets Adam Larsson Jersey , his fourth NHL team. He’s been traded twice and last week became an unrestricted free agent when the Chicago Blackhawks decided not to offer him a contract to retain his rights.

”It’s definitely a huge wake-up call,” Duclair said on a conference call. ”You’re a 22-year-old free agent, it’s not the best thing out there. Obviously, it’s going to raise some eyebrows and raise some questions.”

Columbus was one of a few teams interested in signing Duclair, a 2013 third-round pick who won a world junior gold medal with Canada and spent time with the New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes and Blackhawks. The one-time 20-goal scorer remains unfilled potential after parts of four NHL seasons.

”Anthony is a skilled, young player with world-class speed, who has played in over 200 NHL games as a 22-year-old and was one of the league’s top rookies just two years ago,” Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. ”He is eager for an opportunity to improve as a player, and we think he has a chance to be an impactful addition to our hockey club.”

Duclair was traded by the Rangers to the Coyotes in 2015 and put up career highs with 20 goals, 24 assists and 44 points the next season. Arizona traded him to Chicago in January, and the Blackhawks declined to qualify him after eight points in 23 games.

Being demoted to the American Hockey League during the 2016-17 season was Duclair’s first taste of adversity as a professional. It may prepare him for the next step as a full-time NHL player.

”Definitely http://www.officialcapitals.com/authentic-adidas-evgeny-kuznetsov-jersey , something I learned a lot from,” Duclair said. ”Sort of glad it happened because it really showed me that to stick in this league you’ve got to show up every night. You’re not going to be at your best every night. But as long as you’re working hard and you got that work ethic, I think it goes a long way.”

If he can rediscover his 2015-16 level of production, he’ll help Columbus replace Matt Calvert, who signed with Colorado. The Blue Jackets signed center Riley Nash to an $8.25 million, three-year contract when free agency opened.

Duclair said Kekalainen and coach John Tortorella were on board with signing him, which made Columbus his preferred destination for a possible career-defining year.

”You definitely want to go to a team where they really want you,” Duclair said. ”I think I’m an NHL-caliber player. I have a long career ahead of me.”

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