The possibility of Penn State running back Saquon Barkley going No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft has gained steam over the last few weeks. Barkley also helped add some more fuel to that fire with his terrific showing at the recently-concluded Combine.
Even oddsmakers have now acknowledged Barkley’s chances of going No. 1 overall are really good. In fact, they’re better than everyone else’s. As Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith reports, the online sportsbook Bovada has the talented running back installed as the new favorite to go top with odds of +170.
The four players with the next-best odds behind Barkley are all quarterbacks. USC’s Sam Darnold is at +240, Wyoming’s Josh Allen is at +400, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield is at +550 and UCLA’s Josh Rosen is at +700.
If Barkley does go No. 1 overall, it would mark the first time a running back has claimed the top spot in the draft since the Cincinnati Bengals picked Ki-Jana Carter first in 1995.
The inability of any of the four top QB prospects to separate themselves as the top player in that group has only helped Barkley’s case to go No. 1 overall. The Cleveland Browns, who currently own that top pick, are in desperate need of a quarterback and would probably love to grab their franchise QB immediately in the draft.
But with question marks surrounding all four of those top QBs, Cleveland might just consider taking the best player available – Barkley, according to draft gurus like Mel Kiper Jr. – with that first pick and select their quarterback with their No. 4 pick.
Of course, a lot of things could still change from now until the start of the draft on April 26. That includes the Browns straight up trading the top pick, which GM John Dorsey has already said he's open to. But if anyone is big enough of a believer in Barkley going No. 1 that they’re willing to bet on it, then good luck to them.
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