Sam’s Film Room: Is Saquon Barkley worth a top five pick?

Saquon Barkley is one of the best running back prospects I’ve ever scouted. He has incredible elusiveness, his vision is top notch, and he can set up his blocks like a champ. He has the power to instantly upgrade any offensive line based on his ability to make people miss in the backfield. For his weaknesses, he has habit of not taking the dirty play. He also doesn’t consistently finish his runs to maximize the yards on the ground. Even with these negatives, he still gets an early first round grade in this draft and is definitely worthy of a top five selection.

For his pro comparison, I think he’s most similar to David Johnson, running back from the Arizona Cardinals. Both of these players were combine warriors and they both have the elite three-down capabilities in the pros. Also, they are both much more elusive than powerful. In my opinion, Barkley is the better prospect, but it’s their overall skill-sets that make these players great.

How this might affect the Seattle Seahawks

At this point, there are very few mock drafts that have Barkley falling out of the top five or top six picks in the draft. He’s a rare talent and would do well on any team that drafts him. The way this pick affects the Seahawks more closely is that it pushes other positions like the offensive line and cornerbacks down the board for Seattle. I can see them taking a running back relatively early, so I could also see them taking a different running back at 18 or after trading down. The latter is the more likely scenario to me.

Follow me on Twitter @SamuelRGold and support me on Patreon.