Penn State football: Saquon Barkley tops Ezekiel Elliott in NFL Top 100

Former Penn State football running back Saquon Barkley debuted at No. 16 on the NFL Top 100 list, which ranks ahead of an old Big Ten enemy.

Back in 2016, the Dallas Cowboys sparked a huge debate in the NFL regarding the idea of drafting a running back with a top-five selection in the NFL Draft. That year, the Cowboys selected the top running back in the NCAA in Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott. A couple of years later, the Cowboys’ NFC East enemies, the New York Giants found themselves in a quite similar situation.

Coming out of the Big Ten once again was the nation’s top running back in Penn State football’s Saquon Barkley. Although the Giants needed a quarterback, they decided that Barkley’s versatility and dominance were just too good to pass up. To this day, both the Cowboys and the Giants catch a ton of heat for the selections — but at least nobody can deny the talents of both guys.

Barkley and Elliott only played in the NCAA together during the 2015 season, when Barkley was just a true Freshman. After that season, Elliott declared for the NFL Draft, and Barkley quickly became the top back in the Big Ten. Now, Barkley and Elliott wrapped up the first season, which they were both in the NFL at the same time, and their efforts sparked many debates.

Who’s the best running back in the NFC East? Well, the stats after the 2018 NFL season would say Barkley. Elliott was no scrub as he accounted for 2,001 total scrimmage yards and nine overall scores. However, Barkley wrapped up his rookie season with a miraculous 2,028 yards and 15 total touchdowns. As if the numbers aren’t enough proof, both running back’s peers within the NFL have spoken as the NFL Top 100 list continued on Tuesday night revealing both of the former Big Ten standouts position on the list.

Barkley vs. Elliott: The NFL has spoken

Barkley debuted at No. 16 on a list judged by his peers, courtesy of NFL Network. Elliott was close, coming in a couple of spots before Barkley at No. 18. Is this the end-all, be-all for the battle of the former Big Ten rushers? Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, it’s just the beginning. For this past season, it was clear that Barkley’s production meant more to his team than Elliott’s, but a battle between backs cannot be defined after one season.

With Elliott having three years worth of production under his belt, Saquon still has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to the numbers. Seeing as though he racked up more scrimmage yards, and only one less touchdown in year one compared to Elliott, Barkley is definitely right on pace with the Cowboys’ back. We’ll see how the battle unfolds in year two for Barkley as he primed for another big year.