WATCH: Why Giants' Saquon Barkley, not Browns' Baker Mayfield, should be NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
Is Giants' Saquon Barkley Offensive Rookie of Year?
By Ryan Dunleavy | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Baker Mayfield and Saquon Barkley were the first two picks in the 2018 NFL Draft.
They shared the same field in their first career NFL action when the Giants hosted the Browns during the preseason opener.
Now they almost certainly are going to finish first and second in NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
But who takes home the honor and who is the runner-up? The winner will be announced at the NFL Honors on on the eve of the Feb. 3 Super Bowl in Atlanta.
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Giants got absurdly little contribution from a decade of 3rd-round NFL Draft until Lorenzo Carter, B.J. Hill arrived.
The top two picks in the NFL Draft have not finished as the top two vote-getters in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting since 2012, when No. 2 Robert Griffin III (Redskins) beat out No. 1 Andrew Luck (Colts) in a battle of quarterbacks.
In an ironic twist, third-round pick and third-place-finisher Russell Wilson (Seahawks) is the only one of the three to appear in a Super Bowl, with a win and a loss in two trips to the game big game.
So how do Barkley and Mayfield measure up after one season?
Here are Barkley's rookie-year stats (16 games and 16 starts):
Rushing: 1,307 yards, 5.0 yards per carry, 11 touchdowns
Receiving: 91 catches, 721 yards, 4 touchdowns
0 combined fumbles
Here are Mayfield's rookie-year stats (14 games and 13 starts):
Passing: 63.8 completion percentage, 3,725 yards, 27 touchdowns, 14 interceptions
Rushing: 3.4 yards per carry
7 combined fumbles, 3 lost
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New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman seemingly struck gold in the 2018 NFL Draft, mining a Pro Bowl running back in Saquon Barkley, two other starters and an outside linebacker who blossomed as the season went along.
Barkley's arrival helped the Giants improve from three wins in 2017 to five in 2018.
Mayfield's arrival helped the Browns improve from zero wins in 2017 to seven plus a tie in 2018.
Case closed in favor of Mayfield, right?
Watch the video above as NJ Advance Media's Giants beat reporter Ryan Dunleavy explains why Barkley, not Mayfield, should win Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Then stay tuned Feb. 2 when Dunleavy reports live from the awards show.
Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.