Saquon Barkley is already looked at as a leader for the Giants. Photo by Al Thompson

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Watching rooking running Saquon Barkley go through drills and pass plays at the Quest Training Facility during OTAs you cannot miss his presence.

He is not your typical rookie finding his way. Barkley, the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft is a generational player who could change Big Blue from the 3-13 disaster they were last into a contender to unseat the Philadelphia Eagles as NFC East Champions and possibly the entire NFC.

Saquon Barkley is the leader of the Giants’ impressive rookie class, but he is also perfectly content to follow the example set by the team’s accomplished veterans.

New head coach Pat Shurmur was asked about Barkley and what has he been able to achieve so far in just a small amount of time.

“He hasn’t disappointed us one bit,” Shurmur said. “We have high expectations for all of our rookies, especially Saquon. He has been out there running the ball well and is catching it well. He did a nice job today in pass protection. He is doing all the things now that we need to see him do to trust him out on the field next fall. He has done a good job.”

The running back from Penn State is trying to glean as much knowledge and pick up as many tips as he can from fellow back Jonathan Stewart and quarterback Eli Manning, who have played a combined 24 NFL seasons.

“Stewart is an awesome dude,” Barkley said after the team’s first organized team activity (OTA). “Obviously, he is a great vet. I’m just over here trying to watch him, trying to learn from him every single day and all the vets and all the running backs let me come in with open arms and it’s been great. They are great leaders and I look forward to continuing learning from them throughout my career.”

Stewart, who has rushed for 7,318 yards and 51 touchdowns in 131 regular-season games, is happy to mentor not only Barkley, but second-year pro Wayne Gallman and youngsters Jalen Simmons and Robert Martin.

I’ll share a little bit of my wisdom with all of the guys that have questions,” Stewart said. “The main thing is just take care of your body. I can’t say it enough.”

Stewart also counsels young players to exercise patience.

“Respect the process,” he said. “When it comes to learning the offense, just give yourself some time and be dedicated to it. You only get what you put in. But the main thing is, respect the process and control what you can control.”

Stewart said he can “definitely” see why the Giants were so eager to draft Barkley.

“He’s a smart football player, he picks things up very fast,” Stewart said. “He’s explosive and he’s really good in his route running. Actually, we talked about it today, that’s one of the things that he’s really focused on, is his ability to run routes. And you can see that today, for sure.”

Stewart is not just dispensing advice. He is still working on his craft and believes Barkley can teach him a few pointers.

Asked what he can teach Stewart, Barkley said, “I don’t know. That’s a good question. I would say the best thing for me personally is to continue coming in here and working every single day. Obviously, he is a great vet and a great leader and a great worker, but if I continue to work and push myself every day, then it’s going to push him every single day and it’s going to push the running back room and make the running back room as whole better.”

Barkley is also working to develop a chemistry with Manning, the two-time Super Bowl MVP who is preparing for his 15th season as the Giants’ starting quarterback.

“It has been amazing,” Barkley said. “Obviously, he is a great guy; he’s a great quarterback. But he’s so knowledgeable about the game – he knows every single play where you’re supposed to be, where everybody is supposed to be, and literally he can look this way and this guy ran a wrong route and he knows that guy already ran a wrong route. So I just continue to learn from him every single day and ask a lot of questions. I think I’m probably annoying to him a little bit, but I continue to ask him a lot of questions and I just want to expand on my knowledge of the game because that’s going to make me a better player and if I can continue to grow as a better player, then I can continue to help the team.” *
Follow Al Thompson on Twitter @thompsoniii