If you had any doubt in your mind in regard to New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley’s talents, take it from LaDainian Tomlinson himself, they’re bountiful. The Hall of Fame running back knows a generational talent when he sees one. He hasn’t been able to contain his optimism in the Giants’ first-round draft pick.
Barkley has it all- running, catching, and blocking abilities. He’s an all-around back that can take over a game in the blink of an eye. His dynamic style of play only benefits an offense that already has Odell Beckham Jr. and starlet tight end, Evan Engram. Eli Manning finally has the secret weapon at running back he has craved since his inception in the NFL in 2004. He’s had several quality backs throughout his tenure but none like Barkley.
Tomlinson raves over the Giants’ Saquon Barkley:
Barkley’s talents were on full display in his final season with Penn State, as he recorded nearly 1,300 rushing yards, 54 catches for 632 receiving yards and two kicks returned for a touchdown. He weighs in at 234 pounds (linebacker weights, and runs a sub 4.40 40-yard-dash.
The Giants would be smart to give the ball to Barkley as much as humanly possible. Creating mismatches will be the essential point in head coach Pat Shurmur’s game plan, as man-coverage with Beckham, Sterling Shepard, Cody Lattimer, and Engram will be the only way to ensure Barkley doesn’t get free in the flat to annihilate any poor linebacker willing to go step for step with him.
In Barkley’s final two seasons at Penn State, he forced 133 missed tackles, 2nd most in the nation. His agility and lateral movement is top tier, which makes stopping him in the open field nearly impossible. He has the extra gear that star running backs require to bolt past the second-level. Expect to see a lot of draw plays and play-action check downs to Barkley swinging towards the right side of the field. Utilizing his speed and catching ability in the flat will be a huge part of the Giants’ offensive game-plan.