Giants missed out on perfect Saquon Barkley replacement during NFL Draft

After losing franchise icon and former 2018 No. 2 overall draft pick Saquon Barkley via free agency to the divisional rival Philadelphia Eagles and getting nothing in return, the New York Giants have done little to fill the void left by him in the backfield in a way that will instill confidence in the Big Blue fan base.

The Giants signed veteran Devin Singletary, formerly of the Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills (where he overlapped with New York general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll from 2019-21), to a three-year, $16.5 million contract this offseason. Moreover, they selected receiver-turned-running-back Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. But he only has one season of experience as a full-time tailback. However, recent intel from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler suggests the former Purder Boilermaker wasn’t their top choice, missing out on a potentially perfect replacement for Barkley — MarShawn Lloyd.

“Like Dallas [Cowboys], New York also had its sights on USC running back MarShawn Lloyd as a future lead back but didn’t have a pick between Nos. 71 and 107. Lloyd went 88th. But the Giants definitely had him on the radar in Day 2,” Fowler states.

As Fowler points out, the G-Men weren’t the only NFC East team interested in Lloyd and viewed him as a long-term solution to their backfield, citing the Dallas Cowboys as the other. However, the latter passed up on the USC product in favor of Notre Dame linebacker Marist Liufau with the No. 87 overall selection, allowing him to fall to the Green Bay Packers with the next pick. But had New York been in a position on the board to draft him, it sounds like they would have considered the idea of pulling the trigger.

Lloyd was the top-ranked running back (No. 56 overall) on Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network’s list of top 150 overall 2024 draft prospects, somehow sliding to the Packers at No. 88. 

After spending his first three collegiate years at South Carolina, Lloyd transferred to USC for his senior year, where he amassed 1,052 scrimmage yards (820 rushing, 232 receiving) and nine touchdowns on 129 touches. Now, he will leave Giants fans wondering what could have been if the additions of Singletary and Tracy combined with second-year back Eric Gray and 2021 sixth-rounder Gary Brightwell cannot get the job done.