Saquon Barkley garners praise from Drew Brees, Barry Sanders

It’s been a good week for former Penn State football running back Saquon Barkley.

The Penn State football program figured they had a legend in the making after seeing Saquon Barkley handle the rock during his Freshman season in 2015. After three straight dominant seasons in the NCAA, it was time for the Penn State star to take his talents to the next level. It wouldn’t take long for Barkley to hear his name get called on draft day in 2018.

The New York Giants made Barkley the second-overall pick during the 2018 NFL Draft, and so far they haven’t been left disappointed. In one season, Barkley wrapped up his debut with 1,307 rushing yards, averaging an impressive five yards-per-carry. He was also very productive in the passing game with 91 receptions for 721 yards. He reached the endzone for a total of 15 times.

Barkley’s rookie season highlights are impressive, but his numbers do the talking for him. And after his highly successful NFL debut season, Barkley now has the accolades to back up his game. After one season, Barkley became a Pro Bowler, Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie running back, and most recently, the Breakthrough Athlete of the Year from the ESPYS.

First, he’s got the numbers. Then, he’s got the accolades. Now, he’s garnering praise from some of the greats who have come before him. As Barkley went up on stage in Los Angeles at the ESPYS to accept his award last week, a former legendary NFL running back took to Twitter to praise the former Nittany Lions running back.

A co-sign from Barry Sanders

Could there be a better co-sign than this? Barry Sanders is a legendary running back, who Barkley shares plenty of similarities with. Like Sanders, Barkley is a shifty running back who has a knack for making multiple defenders look silly and miss in one play. Throughout Sanders’ career, he didn’t have the greatest blockers helping him out. Therefore, he had to create plays on his own in order to move the ball. Barkley had a similar situation with the Giants last year.

Don’t forget about the shoutout from Drew Brees

Barry Sanders wasn’t the only legend to throw some praise towards Barkley. At the actual ESPYS event, Barkley got a shoutout from a current player and future legend. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees got called up for an award last week as well as he won Best Record-Breaking Performance of the Year.

During Brees’ speech, he decided to offer a shoutout to Barkley. It’s not very common when a player provides a mention to another teams player during an acceptance speech, but Barkley happened to be the exception. Being that Saquon Barkley has been the ideal role model for the younger generation, Brees decided to thank him for inspiring his kids. “Unbelievable to watch you play, my boys love you. Thanks for setting the example that you’re setting,” Brees said during his moment on stage, according to Dan Schneier.