2018 Rookie Profile: Saquon Barkley, RB Penn State

In less than two short weeks, the most highly anticipated rookie in recent memory will finally have an NFL team. Penn State standout Saquon Barkley is rightfully highly regarded in dynasty circles already and should return immediate value to many teams as a top-end asset before playing his first snap.

I am of the belief that players with one elite trait are more valuable than ones that can do everything at a mediocre level, because decent coaching can utilize and maximize that elite trait. But Saquon Barkley doesn’t just have one elite trait – he’s elite across the board.

If you’re not yet intimately familiar with Barkley’s game and background, don’t worry. We’ll dive into the crown jewel of this year’s class in depth.

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COLLEGIATE CAREER

Statistics from sports-reference.com.

Many reports at this point in the pre-draft process tend to be smoke or false rumors, but it would be truly shocking if Barkley wasn’t drafted within the first ten picks of the first round, if not the top five. Because of this, he’ll be a three-down workhorse immediately. When looking at his college statistics, it’s immediately evident that Barkley can carry that sort of load. He had 200 touches from scrimmage in each of his three collegiate seasons and continued to develop as a receiver as he matured.

Barkley was a force to be reckoned with as soon as he arrived on campus. He cleared 1,000 rushing yards in his freshman season, adding 20 receptions and scoring eight total touchdowns, but it was just a precursor of things to come. His sophomore campaign was one that established him as a blue-chip prospect; one that would be the next first-rounder at the position. Rushing for nearly 1,500 yards and adding 400 as a receiver, Barkley demonstrated his three-down skillset while scoring 22 total times.

His rushing yardage took a slight hit in his final season, even though he scored another 18 touchdowns (in one fewer game) and increased his efficiency in the process. Most excitingly, though, Barkley had a whopping 54 receptions for 632 yards and an additional three scores. Only three running backs in college football had more receptions than Barkley this season – James Williams (71) and Jamal Morrow (60), both of Washington State, and Larry Rose III of New Mexico State (55) – and none of them had as many receiving yards as Saquon did. They also didn’t offer nearly as much as runners – neither Williams nor Morrow had more than 92 carries, and Rose III trailed Barkley by 30 carries.

THE FILM

Succinctly – Barkley is a beast. He combines elite athleticism, outrageous balance, and receiving skills into one complete package.

Saquon’s splash plays are among the best I’ve ever seen. His agility, speed, vision, and patience are on display in almost every long run he’s had throughout his career, and also are major factors into his proficiency as a returner. He’s a threat to turn any single carry into a touchdown, creates for himself, and forces missed tackles at an obscene rate. Barkley is most comfortable running off tackle or outside, where he can utilize his 99th percentile athleticism and devastating evasion to break off long runs.

As mentioned in the section above, his receiving ability is what sets him apart from another stacked running back class. He displays soft hands, a diverse route tree (only 20% of his targets came on screen routes), advanced route running, and can align all over a formation. His size and speed, in conjunction with his route running, make a lethal combination that will cause defensive coordinators headaches. Additionally, he may be the best pass protector in this class, engaging with effort and using his thick frame to set a wide base and anchor against pass rushers.

You often see him show off vicious jump cuts behind the line of scrimmage while switching fields. This is because Penn State’s offensive line was truly dreadful. Detractors of Barkley point out his surprising number of negative runs, but these resulted from an effort to try and make something out of nothing on a lot of his carries.

If there are minor knocks on Barkley that are worth mentioning, though, they’d start and end with his lack of consistent physicality. For a 233-pound running back, he rarely willingly seeks out contact. He’s displayed the ability to do it – and excels at it – but prefers to elude defenders rather than punish them. Lastly, Barkley isn’t the best interior runner in this class – for my money, Nick Chubb and Derrius Guice are superior here – although he’s obviously still very good, and was certainly hindered by his offensive line.

MEASURABLES

Quite concisely, Barkley destroyed the Combine. We already knew he was a workout warrior, and he confirmed this by recording the second fastest 40 time (4.40, 93rd percentile), benching 29 reps of 225 pounds (97th percentile), and jumping 41 inches in the vertical (96th). These numbers (particularly the 40) are insane at 233 pounds. He’s a 99th percentile SPARQ athlete.

It was disappointing to see him skip the three-cone drill because he displays elite agility on tape, even though his 20-yard shuttle was only average (4.24 seconds, 47th percentile).

His athletic comparisons per MockDraftable aren’t close matches – mainly because he’s a freak of nature. Cedric Peerman, Tatum Bell, Ben Tate, and Toby Gerhart are some of the closest comps, but Nick Chubb shows up on this list as well.

DYNASTY VALUE/PLAYER COMPS

Saquon’s cutting ability and balance remind me of LeSean McCoy, except somehow 25 pounds heavier. In reality, Barkley is an impossible player to compare. He’s one of the freakiest athletes at 233 pounds to ever play the position. Saquon’s all-purpose skill set has the potential of having the impact that LaDainian Tomlinson once had, although the NFL has changed since LT’s dominant years and the chances of Barkley seeing the workloads Tomlinson did are slim.

Barkley has a tendency to play like a finesse back in a power back’s body – reminiscent of Shaun Alexander – although Saquon is a much better receiving back than Alexander was in college.

Barkley is the unanimous selection at 1.01 of the last few years, coming in first among all of our staff rookie rankers and our rookie ADP. Even Ezekiel Elliott didn’t separate from the pack in rookie drafts until after the NFL Draft. Barkley isn’t a perfect player, but he’s as well rounded as you’ll find in a collegiate prospect.

The more interesting conversation here is where Barkley lies in the entire player pool, rather than just his rookie cohort. Saquon’s April startup ADP lies in the first round at eighth overall, ahead of David Johnson and all of last year’s rookie running back sensations. At RB4 overall behind Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott, and Le’Veon Bell, he’s likely to maintain or gain in value over the course of his rookie season. He’s somehow just 21 years old, and is one of the youngest players in this class.

CONCLUSION

There likely isn’t much you don’t already know about Saquon.

Passing is inherently more productive and efficient than rushing, and Barkley is far and away the most productive receiver at the position in this class. Even if you don’t believe he’s the most talented rusher of this year’s crop, his receiving ability alone should push him into his own tier.

If you’d like to discuss Barkley further, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter at @jnammour24 as always or comment below!

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