Saquon Barkley won't be denied greatness as he stands strong in exclusive ranking

How many New York Giants front office personnel are banging their heads against the wall for letting Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley walk out the door?

The Eagles will forever be grateful to their division rival for gift-wrapping the best running back in the NFL, and soon might be one of the greatest ever. After his stellar NFL record of 2,504 rushing yards in the regular season and playoffs, it has mostly everyone in the NFL in agreement that Barkley is the best back in football right now.

ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler wrote an article on the company surveying league scouts, coaches, and executives to see who the top 10 running backs are. All but one person who surveyed named Barkley the best in the NFL.

"Barkley's Super Bowl-inspired run in 2024 harkens back to then-New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman taking serious heat for selecting a running back with the second overall pick despite plenty of good quarterbacks available in the 2018 draft. Barkley was just that good. And just maybe, that pick wasn't so bad and Gettleman looks smart?

Let's just say scouts around the league who once forecast Barkley as a transcendent player can admire those old scouting reports with a low-key fist pump.

'It was almost like this was expected -- he was always expected to be this,' an NFL personnel director said. 'You can call it confirmation bias. Everybody thought he was a great player [at Penn State] and he proved what people thought he would be. It just took some peaks and valleys. And he was in a bad offense [in New York].'

'He can go another few years with high-level play behind that [offensive] line.'"

Barkley rules at the top of the running back mountain entering 2025

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Barkley stands alone among the best. Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry will make an argument to be in that conversation, but he doesn't have what Barkley has.

What separates Barkley from the rest is his breakaway ability to create a big run when the blocks are right. Even when they aren't perfect, Barkley is tough to tackle at first contact, thanks to his powerful lower body strength, which helps him stay up and run over defenders.

The best part about Barkley entering 2025 is that, barring any injury, he should still play at the same level as his Offensive Player of the Year status in 2024. Philadelphia's offensive line returns all but one starter from last year, and all the skill players are the same. This Eagles offense essentially went untouched in the offseason.

Repeating the same stats from last year is going to be a challenging task for Barkley. The Eagles brought in A.J. Dillon and Will Shipley, who are expected to have a bigger role in the offseason, so those two will most likely take touches away from Barkley.

That shouldn't change how Barkley is when he touches the ball. In fact, it will make him better and stronger with fewer hits being taken. Good luck, NFL.