Saquon Barkley makes PFF’s Top-50 heading into 2019
Pro Football Focus recently put together a list of the NFL’s Top-50 players heading into the 2019 season. Former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley has garnered a mention.
Since the 2015 NCAA season, we all knew that former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley was going to be something special. As the number one recruit coming out of Pennsylvania, Penn State figured they were getting one of the best backs in the nation. However, Barkley took over the college world by storm. Though he only accounted for 1,076 yards and seven touchdowns during his debut year, we would soon find out why exactly he was the best recruit out of PA.
Barkley’s final two seasons at Penn State were outstanding. With over 1,800 scrimmage yards and 22 total touchdowns during his Sophomore effort, Barkley established himself as arguably the best all-around running back in the nation. And it turns out he wasn’t just some one-year wonder either. The following season, Barkley was only 97 total scrimmage yards shy of clinching 2,000 in one year. And to go along with that, he tallied for 21 total touchdowns.
At that point, he still had a year of eligibility left, but there was no reason for him to return to Penn State. With rumors of the Cleveland Browns potentially taking him with the first-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Barkley couldn’t stick around Happy Valley any more.
He was ready for the big league’s. Although the Browns passed on Barkley at No. 1, the New York Giants didn’t hesitate to call him up with the second-overall pick. Many criticized the idea of taking a running back that early, but Barkley is more than a running back — he’s the entire offensive package. And with that selection, the Giants have a Top-50 player in the league, according to PFF.
Barkley primed for another breakout year?
"“We’ve already seen enough from Barkley to slot him at No. 43 on this list. His 85.9 overall grade, 84.6 rushing grade and 86.4 receiving grade all rank inside the top-five among qualifying rookie running backs in the PFF era (2006-18). Looking specifically at his pass-catching ability, Barkley caught more passes (91), gained more yards after the catch (787) and forced more missed tackles on receptions than any rookie running back since 2006.”“And all signs point to Barkley being much more than a one-year wonder. He earned 81.0-plus overall grades in all three years at Penn State (2015-17) and logged 80.0-plus receiving grade in his last two collegiate seasons.”"
With the making of this list, PFF combined last years data, with previous seasons to see which players are consistently at the top of the totem pole of their respective position. Since Barkley just wrapped up his rookie season, they didn’t have any numbers beyond 2018. However, that didn’t seem to matter. After seeing what he was able to accomplish in year one with the Giants, it’s become evident that he’s a top player in the league.
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And after the 2019 season, he could be viewed as the top running back as well. It might be too early to make that claim now, but nobody should be surprised to see it happen. We saw a decent performance during his freshman year at Penn State, and that turned out to be a weak one compared to his final two seasons. Maybe history will repeat itself in the NFL.
