Saquon Barkley ranked among NFL's top running backs
The Giants offense received a significant boost last week when star running back Saquon Barkley signed the franchise tag and reported for the start of training camp.
It didn't take long for the media to start praising Barkley leading up to the start of the season.
Former Giants quarterback and Super Bowl Champion (and current NFL.com analyst) David Carr recently ranked the top 10 running backs in the NFL, where Barkley landed all the way up at No. 2.
"Coming off one of his best campaigns -- Saquon was one of just three RBs to rack up at least 1,300 rush yards and 300 receiving yards last season -- Barkley possesses a rare combination of power and speed," wrote Carr. "He regularly runs through defenders at the first and second levels with impressive strength, but also has that home-run ability as a true burner. The two-time Pro Bowler can catch balls out of the backfield, but isn't quite the route runner of the back who holds the top spot on this list. That was the slim margin for me between these two elite running backs."
Barkley did not miss a single game due to injury last year. The 26-year-old running back ran for a career-high 1,312 yards, the fourth-most in the NFL, and scored 10 touchdowns to go with his 57 receptions for an additional 338 yards. He was voted to the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career.
The 6-foot-0, 232-pound back added an additional 114 yards on 18 carries (6.3 avg.) and two touchdowns in the team's two postseason games, along with seven receptions for 77 yards.
Barkley finished third in the NFL AP Comeback Player of the Year voting.
Here is Carr's full ranking of the top 10 running backs in the NFL:
- Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
- Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
- Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
- Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
- Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
- Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
- Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
- Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
- Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Breece Hall, New York Jets
View photos of Giants running back Saquon Barkley's time with the New York Giants.
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