Heading into his first year in the NFL, New York Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley will have a tremendous level of expectations laid before him coming in as the second overall selection in this year's draft. This has placed a huge amount of pressure on him to quickly prove himself worthy of that high pick.
The 21-year-old voiced on Friday morning that he is ready to take those challenges head-on while earning the respect of his teammates behind his work ethic on and off the field, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.
“My expectations for myself right now would be to continue to come in, be humble,” Barkley said. “I don't want to be that guy that's viewed as he thinks he's a high draft pick and he got it all.
“Nothing's given to you; everything's earned. I have that mindset that you have to work for every single thing, learn every single day, be a student of the game, learn from the guys, the coaches, learn from [Eli Manning] and [Odell Beckham] on the field and off the field. Work, be a worker.”
Barkley will have a chance to start proving just that in training camp this offseason to showcase that his talent is directly attributed to his worth ethic. It is a chance to help gain the necessary respect and bond needed to help succeed at the next level as he will likely be a primary fixture in the offensive game plan each week of his rookie campaign.
Keep in mind, the Giants haven't had a legitimate cornerstone player in the backfield since the days of Tiki Barber more than a decade ago. There is a significant amount of importance from the organization to see if Barkley can bring that balance back to the offense that could help place them back in the playoff picture and possibly further.
Nonetheless, this entire process for the Penn State product will start in the offseason where he will have the chance to make his presence felt with his new teammates.
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