Who will lead the Giants in receptions in 2022?

It certainly will not be a tight end, and it might not be a wide receiver.

It could be running back Saquon Barkley. Nothing that has transpired during the first two days of training camp would dispel that notion.

“When you’re developing in a system, you kind of figure out what these guys do best, and you challenge them to do more,’’ new head coach Brian Daboll said. “And if it doesn’t look great, then you see if you want to keep pursuing it. And if you want to keep pursuing it, then you’ve got to get them better. And if not, then you just throw it away and do something else.’’

These are the development days for Daboll with the offense, but you can be sure, after he makes a full evaluation of what he has and what he is lacking, that he will not decide to “just throw it away’’ when it comes to throwing the ball to Barkley. The sight of No. 26 thus far this summer — moving here and there, running routes out of the backfield, running routes when split wide, running routes out of bunch formations and running routes that require true wide receiver skill sets — is prevalent, and there are times when it almost seems as if there is a need to tone down how much Barkley is finding the ball in his hands.

Almost.

“You see him,’’ Daboll said. “I mean, you saw him coming out of Penn State. You see him running around here. He’s a pretty skilled player. So, our job is to figure out ways to use him, whether he did it last year or the year before, two years, in college.’’

Having a boss with Daboll’s creativity figuring out ways to use him has Barkley smiling. He noted after Wednesday’s practice, “I’m 25 now, Year 5 and one of the older guys in the building.’’ Yes, it can go that quickly.

“Yeah, it’s flying by, right?’’ he said.

The former Giants front-office regime picked up Barkley’s fifth-year option for $7.2 million this season, and the new regime did not see any reason to open up talks on an extension. This is unquestionably a prove-it season for Barkley, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft who, after an NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year debut, has fallen on hard times, with injuries — most notably a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in Week 2 in 2020 — creating vulnerability in his armored tank-like physique.

“I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, I got to use that to my advantage,’’ Barkley said. “I can use that to lead, especially with some of the adversity I’ve had to deal with the last couple of years. That will not only help me as an athlete but as a person, a man, as a brother and as a teammate.’’

Getting the ball in his hands will help. He is coming off an offseason spent revitalizing his body, rather than rehabbing from a specific injury, and the pep in his step is readily apparent. He is catching passes from every spot on the field, and there are no doubt wrinkles that Daboll has yet to reveal.

This offense should allow Barkley to be the best he can be.

“I think this offense has given me the opportunity to do that,’’ he said, “and I’m thankful, blessed to have that.’’

The physical setbacks and constant losing has prompted Barkley to engage in soul-searching, as he has been forced to deal with “the adversity, the injuries that were put in my way these last two years. God got a big plan and it’s all gonna work out. Year 5 for me, I just want to show the Giants the guy they drafted is still here.’’

Will that be enough to keep Barkley in blue and on the roster in 2023? He will be in need of a new contract, and whether or not the Giants give it to him will be an ongoing saga all season.

“Obviously that stuff’s in the air,’’ Barkley said. “My thing is, if I take care of the little things and God blesses me and nothing crazy happens, I think the rest is going to take care of itself. I know where I’m at mentally, I know where I’m at physically, I know what I’m capable of doing. I just got to focus on taking care of my mind, my mental and try to be the best teammate I can be every single day, and when the time comes, it’s going to pay off.’’