Football Film Room Prospect Profile: Saquon Barkley, RB Penn State

Known as one of the 2017 season's most electrifying players, Barkley seems to be one of the best running back draft prospects pro scouts have laid their eyes on in a VERY long time. In only his junior year, he lead Penn State to a phenomenal start to the season, until being stopped by Ohio State and Michigan State in back to back weeks, essentially ending any playoff hopes.

A look at the stats:

- Rush Yds: 1,134

-Attempts: 199

-Yards/Carry: 5.7

-TDs: 16

-Receiving Yds: 594

-Receptions: 47

-Rec TDs: 3

Although Saquon didn't rack up as many yards as he did in his Sophomore season (1,134 this year vs 1,496 last season), he put up his third consecutive 1,000 yard campaign on 73 less carries, which speaks to his explosiveness this year. He was able to make a difference in games without having to touch the ball 25-30 times a game. Granted, there were games where he was shut down this season, he was able to still get into the endzone a total of 21 rushing, receiving, and returning kicks over 12 games. So, even in games where he couldn't find a rhythm running the ball, he was able to make a play one way or another, proving to be a reliable, game changing prospect to NFL teams.

The Film:

-One thing that really stood out to me was Saquon's athleticism. He was able to run with any sort of style he wanted. There were times where he would completely run defenders over one play, then come out a few plays later and hurdle another. Barkley is talented enough to be a power and a speed/one cut type of running back. He holds the strength, balance, and agility to become another Adrian Peterson sort of running-back.

-As I mentioned before, Barkley is capable of making big plays running, catching, and even returning kicks, which makes him a SUPER valuable player to any team looking for a boost in offensive production. One game that really stood out to me this season was the Penn State vs Iowa matchup. In the first half, Iowa was able to contain Saquon Barkley and Penn State's offense to only 5 total points. Iowa game planned to stop Barkley with a 2 man spy on him However, Barkley exploded in the 2nd half and finished with 211 rushing yards and 94 reception yards. This type of game showed me the mental strength of Barkley and he flashed ability to overcome adversity and lead his team to victory.

- Although Barkley is the best RB prospect in this class (if he decides to come out), he does have some flaw in his game. Barkley lacks patience from time to time. On plays where he gets stuffed, Barkley tries to run backwards instead of powering ahead to get some type of positive gain. If he can learn to be patient and a better decision maker in this type of situation, he will improve his game a lot. I understand that he is a play maker, but you cannot make something happen each and every play, but coaches want guys who are going to at least get a positive gain.

Overall, Saquon is one of the best prospects I have looked at in a long time. He has all of the physical and mental qualities to become a super star football player at the next level. In my eyes, he is the #1 RB prospect and will likely be a top 10 pick in the NFL draft this spring.