PFF Ranks Giants Saquon Barkley in Top 10 NFL Running Backs Ahead of 2021 Season
Although it will be months before Giants running back Saquon Barkley is cleared to return to action following a torn ACL, Barkley’s star hasn’t diminished in the eyes of Pro Football Focus.
The popular analytics site, in its ranking of the league’s 32 best running backs entering the 2021 season, has Barkley at no. 7, noting:
One of the most talented backs in the league, Saquon Barkley embodies the cautionary tale of the position, with both injury and environment combining to limit his effectiveness so far at the pro level. Barkley showed what he was capable of as a rookie, but that is his only season that generated a PFF grade above 80.0.
The ranking seems generous for a player who not only has been slowed by injuries the last two seasons but whose offensive coordinators have struggled to get optimal use out of Barkley’s skill set and whose run blocking has been spotty.
While none of those factors is Barkley’s fault, Barkley still has some questions to answer once he returns to the field (besides, of course, whether he’s the same or even better of a running back than he was pre-injury).
The biggest is his pass pro game, which, in limited snaps last year, was so cringe-worthy at times that former Giants running back Tiki Barber questioned whether Barkley has what it takes to be an every-down back.
As a rookie in 2018, Barkley allowed eight total pressures in pass protection, with three sacks during his rookie season. In 2019, despite missing three games with a high ankle sprain, he posted similar numbers.
An argument can be made that Barkley is a “boom or bust” type of runner—a guy who looks for the big run rather than show patience and take what’s there to be taken.
In giving Barkley the benefit of the doubt, it’s certainly fair to wonder how much of an impact the inconsistency of the run blocking affected his decision-making.
So is PFF’s ranking fair? I’d say it was given his circumstances. But it’s also fair to say that in addition to Barkley bouncing back from his injury, it’s imperative of the Giants coaching staff to figure out ways to unlock the many other things he’s capable of bringing to an offense.
If they don’t, then Barkley will have been a wasted draft pick despite his natural abilities.
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