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Saquon Barkley

Did Giants land a can't-miss back?

Are we sure that Saquon Barkley is a can’t-miss running back? That tends to be the general feel with most running backs chosen early in NFL drafts, after all, yet a lot of them come up short at the pro level.

With Barkley being a Penn State guy, you can’t help but think of Blair Thomas, Ki-Jana Carter and Curtis Enis in the ‘90s. All of those guys were Saquon-type stars, and they all missed.

If we look at Barkley in comparison with other running backs chosen in the top 10 in the last 20 years, he’s slightly below-average in terms of rushing yards. That’s looking at rushing yards in each guy’s final college season.

TOP-10 RUNNING BACKS -- RUSHING YARDS
YearPkPlayerAttYardsAvgTD
20015LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D.3692,1585.8522
19995Ricky Williams, N.O.3612,1245.8828
20054Cedric Benson, Chi.3261,8345.6320
20084Darren McFadden, Oak.3251,8305.6317
20164Ezekiel Elliott, Dall.2891,8216.3023
20007Thomas Jones, Ariz.3341,7985.3817
20062Reggie Bush, N.O.2001,7408.7018
20123Trent Richardson, Clev.2831,6795.9324
20178Christian McCaffrey, Car.2531,6036.3416
19994Edgerrin James, Ind.2421,4165.8519
19985Curtis Enis, Chi.2281,3635.9820
19989Fred Taylor, Jac.2141,2926.0413
20182Saquon Barkley, NYG2171,2715.8621
20109C.J. Spiller, Buff.2161,2125.6116
20055Cadillac Williams, T.B.2391,1654.8713
20077Adrian Peterson, Minn.1881,0125.3813
20052Ronnie Brown, Mia.1539135.979
201510Todd Gurley, St.L.1239117.419
20174Leonard Fournette, Jac.1298436.538
20005Jamal Lewis, Balt.1828174.498

He also comes in slightly below-average in yards per carry.

Three different teams held him under 3 yards per carry, including two with losing records (Rutgers, Indiana). If you watch Barkley against Washington in the Fiesta Bowl, you’ll see him scream down the sidelines for a 92-yard touchdown, but his other 17 carries went for 45 yards – under 3 per attempt.

TOP-10 RUNNING BACKS -- YARDS PER CARRY
YearPkPlayerAttYardsAvgTD
20062Reggie Bush, N.O.2001,7408.7018
201510Todd Gurley, St.L.1239117.419
20174Leonard Fournette, Jac.1298436.538
20178Christian McCaffrey, Car.2531,6036.3416
20164Ezekiel Elliott, Dall.2891,8216.3023
19989Fred Taylor, Jac.2141,2926.0413
19985Curtis Enis, Chi.2281,3635.9820
20052Ronnie Brown, Mia.1539135.979
20123Trent Richardson, Clev.2831,6795.9324
19995Ricky Williams, N.O.3612,1245.8828
20182Saquon Barkley, NYG2171,2715.8621
19994Edgerrin James, Ind.2421,4165.8519
20015LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D.3692,1585.8522
20084Darren McFadden, Oak.3251,8305.6317
20054Cedric Benson, Chi.3261,8345.6320
20109C.J. Spiller, Buff.2161,2125.6116
20007Thomas Jones, Ariz.3341,7985.3817
20077Adrian Peterson, Minn.1881,0125.3813
20055Cadillac Williams, T.B.2391,1654.8713
20005Jamal Lewis, Balt.1828174.498

Premature, I think, to start talking about this guy being a better back than Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliott.

What got Barkley up to No. 2 overall, I think, was the nice 40 times at the combine. He ran a 4.40 at 230 pounds, which is outstanding. And he was productive as a pass catcher at Penn State, with 54 receptions last year. But as I watch him catching those balls, he doesn’t jump out as being a great pass catcher. He’s fine (I saw a nice one-handed catch against Indiana) but I don’t think he’s necessarily better than a lot of other running backs who just weren’t used as much. Sony Michel, for example, caught only 9 passes last year at Georgia, but he might be just as good as Barkley as a receiver.

Barkley will be a top-10 back on my board. I don’t think he’ll be in my top 5.

—Ian Allan

Fantasy Index