Saquon Barkley is already making an impact for the New York Giants and it isn’t even training camp yet. The impact may be at the cash register, but it shows the excitement that the Giants have for their future star in New York.
The selection of Barkley at No. 2 overall in April’s NFL Draft will surely help a Giants’ rushing offense that has been near the bottom of the league the past two years. It also appears that Barkley is reinvigorating a Giants fan base that had little to cheer about during a 3-13 season in 2017.
An organization that has made the playoffs just once since 2012 now has a formidable offense with Barkley as well as wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard and quarterback Eli Manning to go along with a revamped offensive line.
And the excitement around Barkley is palatable.
According to Dick’s Sporting Goods, Barkley is the No. 1 selling jersey in the NFL this week and now for the past month. Not just for all rookies but all players across the league. It underscores the star power for Barkley, who is coming off three standout seasons at Penn State and figures to be a strong candidate for a slew of rookie honors.
In addition to Barkley being ranked number one, teammate Beckham is tenth on the list.
However, in an interesting twist, the top four selling jerseys at Dick’s nationally are from the NFC East.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz ranked second in jersey sales followed by Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and his teammate, quarterback Dak Prescott. Rounding out the top five in terms of jersey sales at Dick’s Sporting Goods stores is Denver Broncos pass rusher Von Miller.
Across town, New York Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold, taken one pick after Barkley, has the eighth best-selling jersey over the past month according to Dick’s. He is the only Jets player on the top 10 list.
