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Saquon Barkley has been a hot topic in the upcoming NFL Draft that is set to take place in Dallas, Texas at AT & T Stadium on Thursday, April 26. Is it possible that he will slip out of the top 5?
The Cleveland Browns will most likely take quarterback Sam Darnold with the number one overall pick. The New York Giants have the most intriguing selection in the first-round of the NFL at number two.
They could head in so many different directions. New York could either draft Saquon Barkley, draft either Josh Rosen or Josh Allen to be their long-term answer at quarterback, draft offensive lineman Quenton Nelson, draft defensive end Bradley Chubb, or trade out of the pick and acquire more picks.
With the Giants trading defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul on Thursday to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it isn't out of the question they could draft Bradley Chubb second overall.
The New York Jets moved up to the number three pick from the sixth pick with the Indianapolis Colts to draft a franchise quarterback. The Jets also gave up two second-round picks this season and another second-round pick in 2019.
The Browns have the fourth pick as well from a trade with the Houston Texans in the 2017 NFL Draft. Cleveland could solidify their backfield with Barkley, but the odds are they won't because the Browns signed Carlos Hyde to a three-year deal. They also have Duke Johnson Jr. in the backfield. Both running backs are relatively young (27 years of age for Hyde and 24 years of age for Johnson Jr.), but Barkley is only 21 years old and he is a homerun hitter.
Barkley can run, catch passes of the backfield, and return kickoffs. He had 1,271 rushing yards on 217 carries and 18 touchdowns in 2017 with Penn State. Barkley caught 54 passes for 632 yards receiving and three touchdowns. He also had two kickoff returns for touchdowns in 2017 (98 yards vs Indiana and 97 yards at Ohio State).
The Denver Broncos own the number five pick and they could use a running back because C.J. Anderson is not the answer in the backfield, but the Broncos have issues on the offensive line and at quarterback. John Elway has caused a quarterback carousel in Denver over the past couple of years.
He traded away Trevor Siemian to the Minnesota Vikings and Siemian showed flashes of potential. Siemian failed to produce because the offensive line wasn't good. Paxton Lynch isn't good because anytime he goes into the game, he fails to impress. Denver signed Case Keenum to a two-year deal and it wouldn't be surprising if they drafted a quarterback because Elway is trying to find his guy.
The Indianapolis Colts have the number six pick and this is the furthest Barkley will fall. The Colts need a running back to take pressure off of Andrew Luck. Barkley would be a reliable weapon in the Colts offence and Indianapolis will be headed in the right direction.
If Barkley for some reason doesn't get taken by Indianapolis, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the seventh pick or the San Francisco 49ers with the ninth pick could take Barkley.
