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With the No.2 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected running back Saquon Barkley. And while Barkley has only officially been a part of Big Blue for a few weeks, the plotting began months ago due to his budding friendship with Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
The pair on the field together will hopefully be a nightmare for opposing defenses, but it all starts with the two getting along off the field and in Barkley’s latest interview with NJ.com, he revealed just how close he and Beckham have gotten.
“We talked the Giants drafting me into existence. When I used to hang out with Odell, I’d tell him, ‘I’m going to be a Giant, I want to be a Giant, I want to be a part of that team,’” Barkley told NJ.com.
Before Barkley even entered the draft, he worked out with Beckham while he was still suiting up for Penn State. Some may think Beckham is the wrong person to offer the rookie advice with all his off-the-field mishaps like holding what looks like a blunt and being spotted near a white powdery substance. But, with all of his slip-ups, that makes him the best person to steer Barkley in the right direction.
“He gave me a lot of tips on how to do it, and how not to do it,” Barkley said. “He’s done a little bit of both. Everyone has that. … He’s seen it all.”
The locker room has been accepting of Barkley, and a lot of them have even offered him similar pieces of advice— remain true to himself.
“The best advice Odell gave me, and the best advice that I’ve gotten from a lot of the veteran players and people, in general, is to just continue being me. I got here for a reason,” Barkley added.
With new talent and a veteran quarterback at the helm like Eli Manning, hopefully, the NY Giants are back on their road to prominence.
