Saquon Barkley

At 27 years old, Saquon Barkley has this physical status:

College career

Barkley was a true freshman at Penn State in 2015. In his second game against Buffalo, he rushed for 115 yards on a single carry during his first game. In his third game against Rutgers, he followed up with rushing for 195 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. He missed two games due to injury in October.

On October 17, 2015, he rushed for 194 yards on 26 carries in his first game back against top-ranked Ohio State. Barkley rushed for 1,076 yards on 182 attempts during his freshman year at Penn State in 2015.

Barkley was lauded for his freshman year, received a second-team All-Big Ten award for second team service and being named BTN.com Freshman of the Year during the offseason, as well as being named BTN.com Freshman of the Year.

Barkley rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown in a 33-13 win over Kent State in his first game of his sophomore season at Penn State in 2016. Penn State trailed Pitt 28–7 in the second quarter, with Barkley tying five touchdowns with 5:00 left in the fourth quarter to bring the Nittany Lions within three points. However, quarterback Trace McSorley threw an interception in the Pitt end zone with 1:41 left, delaying the Nittany Lions' hopes of ending the game. Penn State football team was forced to come back from a halftime deficit in week five against Minnesota, which would be a recurring theme for the 2016 Penn State football team. Barkley's first play in overtime, a 25-yard touchdown run, gave Penn State the victory after being restricted to only 38 yards on 19 carries during regular playing time.

Barkley had his first 200-yard rushing game at Penn State in week six against Maryland, finishing with 31 yards for 202 yards and one touchdown. Barkley rushed for 99 yards on 12 carries with a single 37 yard field goal in week seven, beating the second ranked Buckeyes in week seven. Barkley and no. 2 were in week eight, with Barkley and no. Penn State ran for a career-high 207 yards and two touchdowns against Purdue, giving him a total of 277 yards on the game. In Big Ten play, Penn State defeated Purdue 62–24 and improved to 6–2 and 4–1.

Barkley was named a semi-finalist for the Maxwell Award on November 1, 2016, given to the year's all-around best collegiate football player. Barkley rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown against Iowa on November 5, 2011. In Penn State's 41–14 win, he added 44 yards and another touchdown for a total of 211 all-purpose yards.

Barkley was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year by the end of the season, Ameche–Dayne Running Back of the Year, and First Team All-Big Ten after the regular season.

Barkley had 19 carries for 83 yards, rushed for a touchdown, and scored another touchdown on a wheel route on December 3, 2016. In the 2016 Big Ten Championship Game, his efforts helped Penn State bounce back from a 28-7 deficit to stun Wisconsin, 38-31.

Barkley had 25 runs for 194 yards on averaging 7.8 yards per carry, including a 79-yard rushing touchdown, giving Penn State a 28-27 lead. Penn State scored seven touchdowns on seven straight offensive plays, including Barkley's 79-yard touchdown. Barkley's first, fourth, and seventh touchdowns for Penn State, giving the Nittany Lions a 49-35 lead in the fourth quarter, but the Nittany Lions eventually won the game, 52-49.

Barkley had set Penn State records for most rushing yards in a season by a freshman (1,076) and by a sophomore (1,496) at the end of his sophomore season (1,096).

Barkley's first game of the 2017 season against Akron was 14 times for 172 yards, two running touchdowns, and a long run of 80 yards. He also had two passes for 54 receiving yards. Barkley was named co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

Barkely led Penn State to a 21–19 victory in their 2017 Big Ten opener, at Iowa, with 358 all-purpose yards. He also set a school record for all-purpose yards in a single game by throwing 211 yards, a rushing touchdown, 94 receiving yards, and 53 kick return yards in a single game. Barkley was voted Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

Barkley rushed 20 times for just 56 yards in his first Big Ten home game against Indiana, an astonishingly underwhelming rush day for him. Despite all this, he still had a huge effect on the game, throwing four passes for 52 yards, and throwing a 16-yard pass to receiver DaeSean Hamilton late in the fourth quarter, caping a 45–14 victory. Barkley became the first player in Big Ten history to score both a return and passing touchdown in the same game. Barkley was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week this week. Barkley returned the first kickoff back 97 yards for a touchdown against Ohio State, but the remainder of the game saw 44 rushing yards on 21 carries, 36 of which occurred on a touchdown run in the second quarter. Barkley rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns, one of them a 92-yard effort to put Penn State up 28-7-8 over the Washington Huskies in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl, which Penn State defeated 35–28. Barkley declared on December 31, 2017, following Penn State's Fiesta Bowl victory, he decided not to play senior year at Penn State and enter the 2018 NFL Draft.

Penn State:

Professional career

Barkley was widely predicted to be a top ten NFL pick entering the 2018 NFL draft. Barkley's stock soared in the weeks leading up to the NFL Combine. Some mock drafts put him in second place overall, the highest for a running back since Reggie Bush in 2006. "Barkley is a once-in-a-life talent, and teams that pass on this young man will be sorry," ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said.

Barkley's showing at the combine was widely lauded, with a 4.4 second 40-yard dash and 29 bench presses of 225 pounds, tying for the most reps by a distance running back at the combine. According to NFL analyst Ian Rapoport, the Cleveland Browns were "strongly considering" drafting Barkley first overall, which would have made him the first running back since Ki-Jana Carter was chosen first overall, making him the first running back since Ki-Jana Carter in 1995.

Barkley was selected by the New York Giants with the second overall pick in the 2018 draft. Barkley completed a four-year rookie deal on July 22, 2018, worth $31.2 million fully guaranteed.

In the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Barkley scored his first NFL touchdown, a 68-yard rush. In the Giants' 20–15 loss, he rushed for 106 yards and scored a touchdown in his first NFL game. Barkley had 14 receptions in a 20-13 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the first week of a game, setting a Giants' all-time franchise record for most catches in a game. He also tied for the most catches in a game by an NFL rookie. Barkley led to a touchdown in Week 3 and finished with five touchdowns. Barkley finished with 100 rushing yards and 56 receiving yards, as well as a rushing touchdown in the Giants' loss to the New Orleans Saints this week. In Week 5, against the Carolina Panthers, he had four receptions for 81 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns, as well as rushing for 48 yards. Barkley finished with 130 passing yards, including a 50-yard touchdown and 99 receiving yards in the Giants' Week 6 football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, totaling 229 all-purpose yards. Barkley rushed for his NFL career-highest to date with 142 yards and three touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, defeating the Giants 38–35. He has been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts, and he has been dubbed Week 2 in NFC Offensive. Barkley rushed for 101 yards and scored a 51-yard touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12, becoming the first player since John Fuqua in 1970 to rush for two 50-plus yard touchdowns against the Eagles in a single season. Barkley defeated the Chicago Bears 30–27 overtime on Week 13. Barkley had 125 passing yards and three receptions for 21 yards.

Barkley rushed for 170 yards, with one 78-yard touchdown, marking the first Giants rookie to reach 1,000 passing yards in a season and setting the franchise's single-season record for rookies with 15 touchdowns scored during Week 14. Barkley had 17 passes for 109 yards in his seventh game with over 100 passing yards on the season, and he had a touchdown in the Giants' 36-35 loss. Barkley was named in the 2019 Pro Bowl, where he helped the NFC win the Skills Showdown in recognition of his rookie season success.

Barkley has received numerous accolades throughout and after his rookie season, including Pepsi Rookie of the Year, FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Year, AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and AP All-Rookie Team honors.

Barkley was ranked No. 201 in his second NFL season in his second season. For 2019, 16 of the NFL's Top 100 players rank. Barkley was selected by his teammates as one of seven team captains for the 2019 season, an award that is seldom bestowed on players after only one year on the team.

Barkley rushed 11 times for 120 yards against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, including a 59-yard touchdown, in the Giants' 35–17 loss. For the first time in his NFL career, he fumbled the ball for the first time in his NFL career. Barkley rushed 18 times for 107 yards and a touchdown in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills, and he had three passes for 28 yards in the Giants' 28-21 loss to Buffalo. Barkley sustained a high ankle sprain in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was expected to miss four to eight weeks. Barkley returned from the hospital against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7. Barkley rushed 18 times for 72 yards and a touchdown in the Giants' 27-21 loss. Barkley rushed for a season-high 19 times and 64 yards against the Detroit Lions in Week 8, finishing with a season-high eight passes for 79 yards and a touchdown. Barkley rushed 24 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins in Week 15, defeating the Giants 36-20. Barkley defeated the Washington Redskins 41-35 for a 41-35 victory. Barkley ran for a career-high 189 yards on 22 attempts and two total touchdowns. For his appearance in Week 16, he earned the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. Barkley rushed 17 times for 92 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17, including a season-long 68-yard run that resulted in a touchdown, during the Giants' 34-17 loss to Philadelphia. Barkley was the only running back in the Giants' history to have 1,000 yards in their first two seasons. He was ranked 31st by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.

Barkley rushed 15 times for six touchdowns and six passes for 60 receiving yards in the Giants' 26–16 loss to the Steelers in Week 1. Barkley's 0.4 yards per attempt was a career low. Barkley was carted off the field after suffering a knee injury that was later identified as a torn anterior cruciate ligament, which ended his 2020 season. Barkley rushed to the right and fought Bears safety Eddie Jackson, who wrestled him down to the ground near the sideline at the end of a six-yard run. Barkley's right knee was immediately grabbed and removed his helmet from his helmet. Later, Jackson expressed his inquiring on Twitter, sending prayers and assistance. Barkley was placed on injured reserve on September 22, 2020.

The Giants selected Barkley's contract as the fifth-year option on the 2021 season on April 28, 2021, a guaranteed $7.217 million per year. Barkley's foot landed on Jourdan Lewis' ankle, which caused him to scream in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys. Barkley was included in the NFL's COVID-19 protocol on November 3, 2021. Barkley had 593 rushing yards, two running touchdowns, 41 receptions, 263 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns in 13 games in the 2021 season.

In Week 1, Barkley rushed for 164 yards, a touchdown, and ran six passes for 30 yards. It was the 21-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans. In the fourth quarter, he converted the go-ahead two point conversion late. Barkley's success on Sunday culminated in him being named as the NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Barkley's 23–16 win over the Dallas Cowboys had 126 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in Week 3. Barkley defeated the Chicago Bears 20–12 in Week 4. In Week 4, the Chicago Bears had 146 passing yards.

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