Will Wayne Gallman Start for the New York Giants?
By Eddie Becker
The New York Giants ranked 29th in rushing last year. As successful as the offense is with Eli Manning and Odell Beckham, having some semblance of a run game will be the key for the Giants in 2017. Is Wayne Gallman the answer to New York’s rushing woes?
See also: Wayne Gallman a better all-purpose back than C.J. Spiller?
As the leading rusher for Clemson last year, Gallman racked up 1,133 yards and 17 touchdowns. Playing for the national champs raised his profile even more than his impressive stats (he ran for over 1,500 yards as a sophomore). After cutting last season’s leading rusher Rashad Jennings in the offseason, the Giants were in desperate need of filling a hole in their backfield. They drafted Gallman with the 34th pick in the 4th round.
How Gallman Fits
Gallman was drafted about where many experts thought he’d be. He was seen to be a 4th round prospect. It was surprising to see some lesser known backs go ahead of him, however, such as Jeremy McNichols from Boise St., Marion Mack from USF, and Tarik Cohen of North Carolina A&T. Still, if there was a team for Gallman to land on to be able to contribute right away, the Giants are it.
A Struggling Offense
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Not only were the Giants almost last in the league in rushing in 2016, they had the lowest touchdown production from their backfield of any team in the league, only getting 6 scores from running backs. A near-worst time-per-possession (2:21) shows just how inept the offense was at times for New York. Gallman can help lengthen drives.
Eli Manning has plenty of weapons to throw to. The Giants have the league prima donna in Beckham, but also one of the most skilled receivers in the NFL. They signed Brandon Marshall after letting Victor Cruz go, and have a great third target in Sterling Shepherd. In the first round, they took tight end Evan Engram, a great pass-catching end that will help spread the field even more. This should only help the running game get going in 2017.
Predicting Gallman’s Role
Things would have to go badly for Wayne Gallman in camp to not make the Giants’ 53-man roster. He’s not as big of a back as many three-down backs in the league are. He’s 6’0″ and weights in at 215 lbs. The Giants may ask him to bulk up some. There is a reason he earned the nickname “Wayne Train” at Clemson. He isn’t scared to smash into defenders, and though he won’t break the ankles of too many defensive backs, he’s certainly capable of making a man or two miss.
Expect Perkins to take the lead role starting out the season while Gallman works his way into the mix. By mid-season, if Perkins hasn’t taken a command of the top running back spot, Gallman should become the go-to guy. It will still be a running back by committee for the most part with Vereen mixing in. Don’t be surprised to see the Giants improve on their dismal rushing performance from last season. The Giants only converted on 34% of their third-downs in 2016. The Wayne Train should be able to help with that and help bring stability to one of the weakest backfields in the league. Barring major injury, Gallman could be the most productive running back Clemson has ever had drafted. He’s certainly in the perfect spot to be that.
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