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Chris Pettit took over as the New York Giants’ director of college scouting in 2018 and in his first draft, landed running back Saquon Barkley out of Penn State. A year later, Pettit signed off on quarterback Daniel Jones out of Duke. Together, those two are now the face of the organization.
As Barkley enters Year 3 and Jones enters Year 2, Pettit sees both evolving as leaders of the team.
“Daniel is so competitive and so tough, we know he’s always going to work and to be his best. Physically, he’s growing up and he’s maturing. He’s maturing as a leader as well,” Pettit said during an NBC special. “I’m expecting good things because of who he is as a person — the competitive and tough person that he is.
“[Saquon] is another guy who worked his butt of in the offseason and came back in excellent shape. We all know Saquon has a [unique] athletic and physical skill set. But the leadership that he’s providing and the competitive spirit that he brings day in and day out, it has developed even more this year. That’s what I love about Saquon is his leadership and competitiveness for our football team.”
Here in 2020, Pettit also landed a potential stud in offensive tackle Andrew Thomas out of Georgia — a man who will be tasked with protecting Jones and helping to open holes for Barkley.
Like Barkley and Jones, Pettit is excited by what Thomas will bring to the table.
“Andrew is all about facing challenges head-on. He’s a competitive guy and played at the highest level in college in the SEC, and went up against the best week after week,” Pettit said. “And now coming into [New York], he starts right off this season going against some of the best rush ends in the league.
“He’s done a great job. He’s come in and competed every day, arrived in shape and he’s ready to rock.”
The Giants will go as Barkley, Jones and Thomas go. There are no three more important players on the roster.
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