Saquon Barkley

It sure sounds like the New York Giants are smitten with Penn State running back prospect Saquon Barkley.

General manager Dave Gettleman raved about what he saw from Barkley after watching his game tape just before he headed out to the NFL owners meetings.

"It's unusual," Gettleman said at the NFL owners meetings, via SNY. "I'm telling you, he can string together moves and get in and out of stuff. It's funny, I (watched film of) him right before I came down. He's unique, no doubt about it. He's big, he's powerful, he can step on the gas, he's got different levels of speed. And he catches the heck out of the ball and he sees the blitz pickup stuff.

"So, you know, he's unique."

Shurmur also raved about Barkley at the owners meetings.

"He's equally impressive, like the quarterbacks," Shurmur said. "When you watch his tape there isn't anything he can't do. He's really a pretty good pass protector. That's an important piece. And he can catch the football as well.

"He can do everything you're looking for in a running back, and he's a terrific human being as well."

Gettleman joins co-owner John Mara, Gettleman, and head coach Pat Shurmur in confirming the Giants brass does not believe the No. 2 pick is too early to select a prospect at the running back position. Although past NFL history and research suggest drafting a running back in the top-20, let alone the top-2 is a losing proposition, the Giants do not subscribe to that trend.

"I certainly don't think it's too high to take a running back," Mara said Sunday at the NFL Annual Meeting, via NJ Advance Media. "And, yeah, I think we could use some additional talent."

The Giants hit the ground RUNNING in Free Agency and their plan is far from complete, take a second to sign up for our FREE Giants newsletter!

Gettleman agreed with Mara's assessment.

"The bottom line is: Is the guy a football player?" Gettleman said at the NFL Combine. "This whole myth of devaluing running backs, I find it kind of comical. At the end of the day, if he's a great player, he's a great player. It doesn't matter what position he is."

During the 2017 NFL Draft, Gettleman's final class as Carolina Panthers general manager, he selected running back Christian McCaffrey with the No. 8 overall pick. McCaffrey struggled as a runner between the tackles, but he had a major impact on the Panthers passing game as a rookie. McCaffrey finished with 435 rushing yards and 80 receptions for 651 receiving yards as a rookie in 2017.