The insanity of the NFL Scouting Combine has wrapped up and at this point in the offseason, it’s time to shift our focus to pro days, mock drafts, and more film evaluation. I’m not quite sure where I stand on the Combine any more. Used to, I’d watch every minute of it. Now, it’s almost like I have to begrudgingly cover it. Or, not – hell, this year, I don’t think I wrote a single article about the Combine. But, the stories come out nonetheless – and this year, the story was all about former Penn State running back, Saquon Barkley.
By now, you’ve seen all the tweets and memes about his Combine performance.
-29 bench press reps (more than Joe Thomas)
-1.54 seconds on the 10-yard splits (faster than DeSean Jackson)
-4.4 second 40-yard dash (faster than Devin Hester)
-41″ vertical jump (higher than Julio Jones)
We get it – it was one of the all-time great combine performances. For a lot of people, that pushed him to the top of the 2018 NFL Draft. It seems like “I’m more of a game film type of guy” is the chic thing to say these days, but that’s where I stand.
You look at what he accomplished in college, and it’s pretty mind-blowing for a three-year career. 5,038 yards from scrimmage, with 51 total touchdowns – sick. The kid was a dual threat weapon, too – 1,195 of those yards and eight of those touchdowns came on receptions.
Barkley is a great player, there’s no doubt about that. But, the Barry Sanders comparisons are strictly out of line. You can’t call a kid who hasn’t played a down in the NFL a generational talent the caliber of Sanders. It’s just not fair.
Plus, if you watched Penn State this past season, you know that several teams were able to bottle up Barkley. It’s not like he was the game-changing factor he was early on in 2017 all season long. He started fast, started hot, but fizzled out down the stretch.
The tape doesn’t lie, but that isn’t to say he isn’t the best player in the draft. He could very well be. That begs the question: what should the Cleveland Browns do at #1 overall?
Should Barkley become that once-in-a-generation type of player, he could help completely turn that Browns franchise around. If not, his floor is still pretty high, and you’re going to be able to get one of this year’s top quarterbacks anyway.
Do any of these quarterbacks wow you anyway? There’s no John Elway coming out of this draft class. If I’m the Browns, I’m thinking long hard about grabbing Barkley with that top overall pick and taking a quarterback of the future at #4.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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