The Giants got their man in the NFL draft. Indeed, all roads led to Saquon Barkley. Still, there was intrigue involved in this long, detailed evaluation process. Here is what The Post learned before, during and especially after all the picks were in:

Crushed it: As Dave Gettleman so profoundly put it, no team (at least publicly) finishes up the draft, scans the piece of paper listing all its picks and says, “We just drafted crap.’’ Each year brings about a different sensibility, though. Relief. Accomplishment. Satisfaction. Rarely have the Giants been this thrilled — “ecstatic’’ is the word one insider used — to get one specific player as the Giants were and are to land Saquon Barkley. The last time the room felt so energized to get a player in the first round of a draft? Jeremy Shockey in 2002.

Quarterback was never an option: It is not as if the Giants viewed this quarterback class as trash. They liked three of them — Baker Mayfield was not in the discussion very long — a great deal but in order to justify the No. 2 overall pick, there had to be love, of which there was none. Most troubling, and telling, was there was no true consensus among the Giants coaches, scouts and front office as to the pecking order. Some liked Sam Darnold best. Others liked Josh Allen best. Darnold, Allen. Allen, Darnold. Around and around it went, and then, a little Josh Rosen sprinkled in. What does that tell you?

see also Meet the Giants' intriguing new QB, and the coach he tortured Lightning does not strike twice in the same place, but... If Barkley was gone, defensive end Bradley Chubb would have been the pick. The assumption that if the Giants were adamant about taking a quarterback it would have been Darnold is faulty. In fact, Pat Shurmur preferred Allen, believing he has the most upside. This is surprising, based on his assessment of why he likes Kyle Lauletta, the fourth-round selection. “Really, arm strength is about fourth on the list,’’ Shurmur said. “You have to be a good decision-maker, you have to have a sense of timing and you have to throw an accurate ball.’’ Allen, the gunslinger out of Wyoming, has the strongest arm and displayed the worst accuracy of the top prospects. This is further evidence Shurmur does not project greatness out of this group.

Grading game: To state the Giants are smitten with Barkley is an understatement. To say they graded him top in this draft class is inaccurate. When the evaluation process was complete, the Giants assigned the same grade to Barkley and Chubb. On the draft board, though, Barkley was stacked ahead of Chubb.

The sleeper: Barkley and guard Will Hernandez will be Day 1 starters, unless something strange and unexpected happens this summer. The belief is Lorenzo Carter, a Georgia outside linebacker taken in the third round, could also be an immediate starter. Yes, that means Carter could get the nod ahead of veteran newcomer Kareem Martin, even though Martin knows James Bettcher’s defense from his time in Arizona. The Giants see Carter as more athletic than Devon Kennard (signed by the Lions) and a much more natural pass rusher. They do not worry about his fairly modest (14 sacks) college production. They believe he might have had more pressures and hits on the quarterback of any player in the draft, including Chubb. At the very least, Carter should instantly emerge as a third-down pass rusher and, if he comes along quickly, he could surge ahead of Martin in the playing rotation.

The right stuff: Shurmur continues to impress everyone inside the building. His first draft with the Giants was a rousing success as far as his involvement and, at times, bemusement. The guy has an understated sense of humor that insiders say is appreciated and keeps the tension of the task in perspective. Saturday night, after the three-day draft was complete, Shurmur surprised the scouting staff by joining them for dinner, an uncommon action for the head coach. Then Shurmur delighted the scouting staff by picking up the tab.

Brilliant surprise: The affection truly started at the Senior Bowl, as the Giants decision-makers, en masse, gathered in Mobile, Ala., and laid their eyes on Will Hernandez. That enthrallment did not last long, as the Giants grew disconsolate at the scouting combine in Indianapolis watching Hernandez set the bar for all offensive linemen with 37 reps on the bench press (Quenton Nelson, by comparison, had 35). “He’ll never be there in the second round,’’ a top Giants talent evaluator groused. After taking Barkley, the Giants watched the first round unfold and were stupefied Hernandez did not come off the board. It has been quite a while, a Giants insider revealed, the entire organization felt this good coming out of a draft.