USA Football
esc

Why Penn State running back Saquon Barkley should be a high NFL draft choice — and why he might not be

By Ted Nguyen | Posted 1/24/2018

(Photo via si.com)

There is something about the visual of a great running back breaking tackle after tackle to get to the end zone with sheer will and determination that ignites the primal side in all of us. Yes, the position isn’t as highly valued as it once was. As the NFL continues to transition to a more pass happy league, teams just aren’t as interested in drafting running backs early as they used to.

Having a running back that makes defenders look like helpless children is not as big of a premium as it once was. It’s almost seen as a sin or a luxury to take a running back in the top 10 now. But every once in a while, there comes a back that is so physically head and shoulders above his contemporaries that he gets every general manager in the league to take notice.

RELATED CONTENT: How Auburn University's 'Sugar Huddle' befuddles defenses, and why it's easy to install in your game plan

This year, that back is Penn State’s Saquon Barkley. At 5-foot-11 and 229 pounds, he reportedly has 4.3 speed (in the 40-yard dash). His legs are like tree trunks. There is video evidence of him squatting 525 pounds and clean pressing 405 pounds. He isn’t just a workout warrior. He’s put together a ridiculous highlight reel this season, but like all prospects, he has his flaws.

Let’s first look at Barkley’s physical skills.

Balance

Usually, bigger backs run with an upright style. Look at Adrian Peterson, Derrick Henry, or even Eric Dickerson. They run with their chest up and it hasn’t hurt them because they can get compact when they need to, but they naturally run high. Barkley is unique because he has a natural forward lean and hip bend that helps him accelerate and keep his balance.

Here, he attempts to juke the safety as defenders surround him. The safety goes low and gives Barkley a good blow to the ankles. It’s not the best tackle attempt, but this sort of hit to a runner’s ankle while he’s in motion is usually good enough to bring a runner down.

However, Barkley is able to stay up and then absorb the contact by three other tacklers and then reload his legs to push the pile for a few extra yards. His forward progress is stopped and the whistle is blown, but they never brought him down.

While he would have scored anyway, how he stuck the landing after a defender got him airborne by diving into his knees is just a remarkable display of balance.

Speed

There haven’t been many backs in the history of league that weigh near 230 pounds and could run a 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds, yet many scouts are predicting that Barkley will do just that. He can run you over, but he can also run away from you. Barkley has the rare ability to obliterate angles once he gets to the open field.

On this play, the Washington defense does a bad job of keeping its gap integrity and Barkley makes them pay for it. He gets a clear path to the sideline and just outruns the entire Washington defense, which has future NFL players on it.

The free safety (No. 14), Jojo McIntosh, runs somewhere in between the 4.5-4.7 range according to nfldraftscout.com, which is average speed for a NFL safety. He miscalculates Barkley’s speed and takes a bad, but not terrible, angle toward the ball. He still looks like he has a shot at Barkley, but once he hits top speed, McIntosh didn’t stand a chance.

Power/violence

There are some big backs who waste their size with games that are too based on finesse, but Barkley can stick his foot in the ground and run through people when necessary.

Barkley is running a tight zone concept. He does a nice job of staying tight on the double-team block before running through an arm tackle and splits through two tackles to finish for the touchdown.

Vision

Unfortunately, Barkley doesn’t lower his shoulders and get the tough yards enough.

The question evaluators have to ask themselves is, he simply trying to do to much and make the big play? Or is he not seeing the field properly?

When running the inside zone, the runner is looking to press the frontside B-gap. If it isn’t open, they have to look to frontside A. If that isn’t open, he has to look to “bend” the play back to the backside A-gap. Here, the frontside A-gap is clearly closed. Barkley has to see the defender’s helmet and cut hard inside of it to the backside.

Instead, he tries to force his way into the frontside of the play and gets tackled for a minimal gain.

Big-play backs are given a little more freedom to create because of the possible reward, but they also have to know the situation and when it’s necessary to just try to move the pile for a few extra yards.

The Penn State offense is backed up near its own goal line. The Nittany Lions’ objective is to get as far away from it as it could and maybe get into a manageable third-down situation. Yes, the play wasn’t blocked well and there really isn’t anywhere for Barkley to go, but in this case, he has to lower his shoulder and use those strong legs and move the pile.

Running backward is an absolute no, yet Barkley does so in a attempt to create some space. He gets tackled for negative yardage and the offense is a tougher position than it already was.

Barkley has all of the physical ability to be one of the best players in the NFL. If scouts were looking at physical ability alone, he’d be a surefire top-five pick, but his undisciplined running could scare some teams off. The next questions scouts will have to ask themselves are: Is this pattern of behavior ingrained in him? Or can it be coached out of him?

RELATED CONTENT: How Penn State used Saquon Barkley in several spots to beat Michigan

TagsBlog College football NFL Running Back Fan/enthusiast
Share