2018 NFL Draft: Penn State RB Saquon Barkley dominates

You want to see a human cheat code? Look no further than Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, a top prospect for the 2018 NFL Draft…

Saquon Barkley.

The Penn State running back and Heisman hopeful is absolutely ridiculous, and he showed us all why with a brilliant — albeit short — performance on Saturday as the Nittany Lions had a ‘tune up’ game against the Akron Zips.

Playing against inferior competition is one thing. Doing what Barkley did is another entirely.

If Barkley looks like an NFL running back playing against college kids, it’s because he basically is. There’s so much to love about this game, but how about this breakaway speed?

Unbelievable.

Right now, I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that Barkley is emerging as a candidate to be the top overall player in the class of 2018. Of course, teams prioritize the quarterback position over all others, but we saw some major flaws with all of the top quarterback prospects in week one of the college football season.

Barkley, as far as I can tell, doesn’t really have many flaws, if any at all.

He’s got the ability as a pass catcher to be a very effective three-down back at the next level, and he showed that in this game as well.

Barkley reminds me some of LeSean McCoy with his ability to change direction quickly and turn on the jets to beat defenders with pure speed. Those are immediately translatable traits, and with Barkley’s ability to see the field so well and create in space, NFL scouts aren’t going to have to do much convincing to get this guy drafted into their building.

Next: 2018 NFL Draft Stock Report

I don’t see Barkley lasting past the top five selections in the 2018 NFL Draft, and more performances like this will continue to solidify that.