The hype is real on New York Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley. So real, in fact, that he was ranked higher than the likes of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara on ESPN’s list of best NFL players under 25-years-old.
43 of our NFL Insiders voted.
Here's their best starting roster under the age of 25. pic.twitter.com/fEvmMRsont
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 16, 2018
This will definitely not sit well with fans of the Cowboys and the Saints, who can understandably be upset over the fact that ESPN decided to put the name of someone who has not played even a single snap of a preseason game, let alone in a regular season contest, over two tried-and-tested young tailbacks.
Both Elliott and Kamara had outstanding rookie seasons in the NFL. Elliott burned rubber for 1,631 rushing yards to go with 15 rushing scores in 15 games in his first season in the pros in 2016. Kamara, on the other hand, wasn’t shabby either in his inaugural NFL campaign, as he racked up a total of 728 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns while also being a key player downfield for the Saints’ offense, garnering 826 receiving yards to go with five TD receptions in 2017.
The guys over in Bristol may be reaching a little bit by ranking Saquon Barkley not only ahead of Elliott and Kamara but even over running backs Melvin Gordon, Leonard Fournette, and Kareem Hunt, who are all productive under-25 backfield assert for their respective teams.
Barkley will have a chance to silence his critics once the 2018 NFL season kicks in, but for now, it seems that the collective groans of NFL fans over ESPN’s list are fairly warranted.
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