23. Saquon Barkley
Team: New York Giants
Position: RB
Experience: 1 Year
At number 23 on the SneakerReporter Top 30 countdown is Saquon Barkley. Barkley was a four star recruit coming out of high school, attending Whitehall High School in Township Pennsylvania. He committed to play at Penn State and in his three years as a Nittany Lion, Barkley continued to flourish. He played over 11 games in all three of his collegiate years, totalling over 1200 yards and 8 TDs in every season. As more and more of his highlights hit the mainstream media, it was easy to tell that Barkley was different.
Barkley’s mold is something we have never seen. He has Barry Sanders level agility and elusiveness, combined with Marshawn Lynch-type power. Now add onto this his next-level breakaway speed and terrific hands in the passing game and you may have the best running back in the game today. Barkley is essentially a real life create-a-player, with all of the attributes maxed out. Legitimately the only concern surrounding Barkley heading into 2019 is something that he cannot even control, the play of his Quarterback.
Assuming Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys reach a deal, the top 4 consensus Fantasy picks are Barkley, Elliott, Kamara, and McCaffrey. If Barkley was on any of those other offenses, he would be drafted 1st in every single league. He is the most talented RB in the league, but the Eli Manning saga is still very alive for the G-Men. Daniel Jones looked awfully impressive in his first preseason game, but when will he become the starter? With the loss of Odell Beckham Jr., Saquon will now be asked to carry the whole offense on his shoulders. There is no doubt he will end up as their leading rusher and receiver in 2019, especially since Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate will be sidelined to start the season.
Even with a sub-par offense in 2018, Barkley still found a way to put up big numbers. In his rookie season, Barkley elapsed 2000 yards from scrimmage, joining only Eric Dickerson and Edgerrin James as the only players in NFL history to do so. Barkley rushed for over 1300 yards on only 261 carries, finding the end zone 11 times. Barkley had the most rush yards/attempt by anyone with over 200 carries last year. Barkley also dazzled the fans with his receiving ability, as he caught 91 passes for a total of 721 yards and 4 TDs.
So what is next for Barkley? Even if Daniel Jones is the answer for the Giants, they still need to solidify the offensive line and add another perimeter threat to lighten the box for him. Even without these changes, Barkley will still be a nightmare for all Defensive Coordinators trying to stop him. Barkley’s health has yet to be a concern throughout his collegiate and professional career, large in part to his excessive training and ridiculous workout regiment. The sky’s the limit for Barkley, but us fans just have to hope the Giants don’t screw it up. Barkley is a once in a lifetime talent that will be one of the best RBs for the next generation of football, regardless of circumstance.
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