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The New York Giants picked former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley at No. 2 overall, which has immediately put in front of him some huge expectations to be the workhorse in the backfield for the franchise for possibly the next decade.
Barkley has welcomed these major responsibilities placed on him while at the same time aiming to be more than a typical running by showing he can contribute in other ways aside from running the ball, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.
“Completely more than a running back,” Barkley said after Friday morning’s walkthrough. “… If you look at the past three years and the history of the running back position — of what Zeke [Ezekiel Elliott] and Le’Veon [Bell] are able to do — when you look at those guys, they are more than running backs. I view myself as more than a running back.”
Each of the other running backs that Barkley has named has shown to be the ideal all-around talents for their respective teams as major factors in both the running and passing game along with being effective pass blockers. There is much asked of them and that is why their ability to step up to those made them even more valuable pieces to the puzzle.
During his collegiate career, Barkley displayed the ability to be a multi-faceted offensive factor that can have a major impact on the game in a variety of ways. He showed that in the 2017 season by tallying up nearly 1,300 rushing yards along with hauling in 54 catches for 632 yards along with two kickoff return touchdowns. He is an all-purpose running back that has simply done all that has been asked of him.
Barkley will certainly have a chance to showcase all he can do at the next level as the Giants appear ready to hand him the reigns to being that franchise cornerstone running back that they haven’t had since the days of Tiki Barber. It’s simply on his shoulders to prove that he can do just what he believes he can on the field next season and beyond that.