ESPN Insiders Call Saquon Barkley the Best Young RB in the NFL Before He's Even Played

I don’t sit here writing from my sprawling estate in this suburban bedroom community hundreds of miles from Bristol, CT and try to pass myself off as one of their NFL Insiders. And when these experts vote to name a guy who’s never taken a snap in pro football the best in his position in any category, I don’t want to be. I’m just posting this as a warning to put everyone on notice. Prepare yourselves. The New York Hype Factory is open for business. And the product they’ll be churning out this year will be Saquon Barkley.

The media needs New York heroes. They always have. It’s good for business. And they haven’t had one they could count on in a long time. Odell Beckham was supposed to be that guy. But due to a combination of his own mercurial nutjobbery, lack of postseason success and missing almost all of last year, that hasn’t panned out. The Jets haven’t had one since Darrelle Revis scrambled his way onto a lifeboat. And Eli Manning is 33-46 in his last five seasons and still living off his two Super Bowls like Tone Loc doing “Wild Thing” and “Funky Cold Medina” over and over for 30 years because he never produced another hit. So the media needs Barkley.

This is just the first spark. Soon to be followed by the smoke, ash, lava and pyroclastic flow of the Kilauea-sized eruption that will be Saquon Barkley hype to come. I guarantee it. Which is no knock on Barkley whatsoever. Let me repeat: This is no knock on Barkley. I don’t doubt he’ll be a good back in the NFL. I saw the same Penn State games you did. Read the same scouting profiles. Watched him positively break the Combine. He deserved to get taken as high as he did. I guess I’m just old school in that I think I guy should actually do a thing before we celebrate how good he is at that thing. Call me crazy. And it’s not like the Insiders were stuck for candidates because there are no good tailbacks under the age of 25 and so they had to slap someone in there just to fill out the form:

Ezekiel Elliot. Age: 22. First team All Pro in 2017 with a league-leading 1,631 rushing yards. Averaging 104 rushing yards per game in his career. Has averaged over 10 yards per reception in each of his two seasons. 25 career touchdowns.

Alvin Kamara. Age: 22. 728 rushing yards, 6.1 yards per attempt, 81 receptions for 826 yards, 13 total touchdowns and 1,554 total yards from scrimmage.

Saquon Barkley. Age: 21. Zero carries.

Did I mention this is not a knock on Barkley? I believe I did. So before you clap at me claiming I said the kid sucks, take a moment and go shove your dick in a bear trap instead. All I’m saying is, because he was drafted to play in New York, the world is going to get way ahead of itself on him. I can feel it coming. “The Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants face Carson Wentz and the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles…” Constant cutaway shots of him on the sidelines. Cris Collinsworth guffawing over everything he does, “Do you think Barkley isn’t excited?” like JJ Watt to the 10th power. In a way that would never happen if he was drafted by, say, the Arizona Cardinals. Again, promising player. I’m looking forward to seeing him. But let’s slow our roll on calling him the best anything until he’s done something.