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SAQUON BARKLEY: GENERATIONAL PLAYER OR FOOL’S GOLD?
Before he even stepped onto the Lucas Oil Field turf to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine, Penn State running back Saquon Barkley was listed as the 2018 draft’s highest rated player with a 7.45 rating by the league’s own website staff evaluator. His workout performance appeared to do nothing to delineate from that. However, I decided to go back and look at the stats from the games played this past season; and I came out of it with mixed thoughts.
While it’s true that over the past 2 seasons, Barkley amassed over 2,700 rushing yards (5.658 avg.) and over 1,000 receiving yards (12.609 avg.); I wanted to take a closer look into which teams gave him trouble and which ones didn’t. Which Saquon Barkley will the NFL be getting . . . the one that ran for 172 against Akron, 211 against Iowa, 108 against TSUN, 158 against Nebraska and 137 against Washington or the one who ran for 47 yards against Georgia State, 56 against Indiana, 44 against Ohio State and 35 against Rutgers? Keep in mind that, against Ohio State those 44 yards came on 21 carries with a 36 yard long. That translates into eight yards over the remaining 20 carries. For those of you who are into statistics, that’s a mere 0.4 yards per carry over those 20 carries, and the 36 yard long carry brings his average for that game at 2.095 yards per carry for the entire game.
So where does that leave him in the grand scheme of things? While I don’t believe that Saquon Barkley will be a draft day bust, I’m not thoroughly convinced that he’s a generational type of player either. I think that the truth – as in most cases – is somewhere in between. If you draft him, you’ll get a legitimate starting NFL caliber running back that has some explosiveness in his game. If utilized correctly, he should have a very good NFL career, barring injury . . . maybe even All-Pro for a year or more. The big question for any team thinking about drafting Barkley early in the first round is wrapped up in a single question. Do you want to invest the high dollars required for a high draft pick into a position whose longevity is (on average) the shortest of any position in the league?
Am I going mad, or did the word THINK escape your lips? You were not hired for your brains, you hippopotamic landmass!
Very good points, while I like Barkley and wouldn’t mind seeing him in an orange helmet there’s too much sense in either zeroing in on Chubb or Ward with our second first round pick either at #4 or a slight trade down to say #5 or #6. Other than a franchise QB finding a legit pass rushing DE or a lock down CB is the hardest thing to do and being as the NFL is so pass happy these days there are only two ways to disrupt any QB put pressure on him or cover his weapons, I’d prefer to do both.
So, I’ve been against the very idea of drafting a RB at 1 from the beginning, regardless of Saquons talent. And the argument I hear most often is “he can do what Zeke did for the Cowboys.” Mostly because Zeke is one of the few RBs that’s been taken that high in the draft in recent years. So, logically, we should get him because he could be the next Zeke, righty? Wrong. Let’s put the Browns in that draft. Who do you take at 1? Easy, Jared Goff or Carson Wentz, and probably Wentz. That’s not even a question. So, we wouldn’t draft Zeke at 1 KNOWING what he can do, why would we take Barkley?? It doesn’t make sense to draft an RB at 1 when you have no qb.
Counter argument 1: “There’s no Wentz in this draft.” Yes, there is. Not Wentz right now, but Wentz and Goff as prospects were not perfect, and many doubted their ability to be franchise QBs. Goff was out of the air raid, if I recall correctly, and Wentz was from a tiny school that wins with it without him. Both were flawed, but worth taking. You never get a perfect prospect at QB, so just because a prospect has a flaw, that doesn’t mean he’s not worth the top pick.
Counter argument #2: “there are 3-4 QBs ranked similarly, just take who’s left at 4.” Do I even have to remind you about Paxton Lynch? He was supposed to be similar to Goff and Wentz. These QBs are NOT all going to be successful, and if you’re looking for a successful one, your best bet is to get the guy you want and not he guy somebody else didn’t want. It’s that simple.
Sorry if I hijacked your thread a little, Bill. To your point, I’ve also made the argument that RBs do bust occaaionally. Not as often as other positions, but there are those Trent reichardsons and Felix Jones and, to a lesser extent, Darren McFadden, guys out there.
The guy doesn’t run north and south when he needs to. He dances way to much and always wants to bounce it out side. I have never seen this big ole dude of a running back truck anyone.
Bottom line I’d take fournette gurly and elliot all over this guy.
http://cloudassetserver.com/STL/posts/185/sp_04_976x0.jpg
You can all say what you want about him and have whatever opinions you like, just as long as when you’re done having them you can make peace with drafting him at 1, because that’s what’s gonna happen.
Saquan Barkley is already a Brown. Do whatever you need to do to move on in your Browns life because it’s a done deal lol.
See, something nobody else seems to have brought up…this dude play stellar on a very mediocre team. The only thing he didn’t do was throw himself the ball. Penn State was not a very good team, so all those good teams that they did play had to do was plan around stopping him.
Now, I’m not saying that’s the exclusive reason he had bad games, but it’s something to consider.
And yes, I’m in the “draft this guy” camp, regardless of signing Hyde. My opinion, dude is gonna be a monster.
While it wouldn’t surprise me if the Browns were to select Barkley @ #1; if they were to do so, it would be a damning indictment on the 2018 QB class because the NFL is such a QB driven league. Wunkle’s 2018 mock version 2.0 will be on the website fairly soon, and you’ll see some of my thoughts on how free agency will affect who go where. Here’s a little tease for you . . . Saquon Barkley will not be selected first overall.
Am I going mad, or did the word THINK escape your lips? You were not hired for your brains, you hippopotamic landmass!
While it wouldn’t surprise me if the Browns were to select Barkley @ #1; if they were to do so, it would be a damning indictment on the 2018 QB class
I don’t consider it damning at all, it’s just that there is no one QB that stands out or puts himself above any of the others. They all have high potential and all have flaws, pretty much making them interchangeable. None of them are a “sure thing”. So as a result of that if you’re the browns you go out and take the one and only sure thing that there is in this draft, Saquan Barkley, and then at 4 you take whatever QB is there/pick from the ones that are still available. Which is exactly what they’re doing. They are guaranteed to get either Rosen, Allen or Darnold. Guranteed. Very simple math. There’s also a high possibility that there will still be 2 of them there at 4. Take the best player in the draft and then go get your QB of the future 2 picks later.
Lol you all really need to understand that that’s exactly what’s happening, how it’s going to go, and that this decision has absolutely already been made. Barkley may as well start looking for a house in Cleveland right now.
Barkley at number 1 will be wasted pick on an 0-16 team with losers like Loser Hue Jackson.
Hue Jackson is a loser.
Barkley may indeed be a generational prospect. Doesn’t matter, he’s not on our radar with a top 5 pick in this draft because RB’s are not a super valuable position in the NFL. They don’t last long, take a huge beating, and the supply is much higher than other positions. A generational RB is not worth nearly as much as a possible franchise QB.
A generational RB is not worth nearly as much as a possible franchise QB.
We’re still getting a franchise QB.
At 4 lol.
There’s no way we don’t take a RB before a QB no matter who it is. No running back could lift a franchise as much as the QB Dorsey happens to like best period. Now if Barkley is still on the board at #4 fine if the GM wants to go that way so be it but not now not ever before the QB.
Is he a ‘generational talent’ like Adrian Peterson? Or is he a ‘generational talent’ like Trent Richardson, Darren McFadden, Reggie Bush, Ronnie Brown, and Cadillac Williams were?
Is he a ‘generational talent’ like Adrian Peterson?
No, most likely much better.
That’s why we’re taking him at 1.
He’s just as explosive and powerful as Peterson, has excellent vision and burst, and has speed to go with his power. The difference is that he can catch passes out of the backfield as well whereas Peterson was non-existent in the passing game.
So, better than Peterson.
He’s just as explosive and powerful as Peterson, has excellent vision and burst, and has speed to go with his power. The difference is that he can catch passes out of the backfield as well whereas Peterson was non-existent in the passing game.
So, better than Peterson.Explain his tOSU tapes please
http://cloudassetserver.com/STL/posts/185/sp_04_976x0.jpg
Barkley lead all RB’s in negative or zero gain plays from scrimmage. He came in 47th (out of 48) in yards gained after contact. #generationalTalent
Barkley lead all RB’s in negative or zero gain plays from scrimmage. He came in 47th (out of 48) in yards gained after contact. #generationalTalent
AKA the guy sucks as a north south runner
http://cloudassetserver.com/STL/posts/185/sp_04_976x0.jpg
Barkley lead all RB’s in negative or zero gain plays from scrimmage.
So did Barry Sanders
And thats the problem. He doesn’t have the stop start acceleration that sanders did. The Guy’s built like Jim Brown but wants dance like Berrry Sanders or Reggie Bush instead of pounding the rock up the gut like he has a set.
http://cloudassetserver.com/STL/posts/185/sp_04_976x0.jpg
So did Barry Sanders
Not in college!
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