Browns should draft Saquon Barkley at No. 1 – no matter what
With the first overall selection in this year’s 2018 NFL Draft, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that the Cleveland Browns must take a quarterback. A playmaker from Penn State should change that conversation.
It’s an article of faith that the running back position is overvalued and one should never be taken in the first round. The problem with this statement is that in the relative scheme of modern NFL player selection, positions become more or less important as offenses and defenses change.
Today’s running backs are not the three yards and a cloud of dust backs from years gone by. They are expected to be on the field for three downs. They line up in the slot to create matchup problems as pass receivers. They must be able to understand protection schemes and block blitzing linebackers and defensive backs. In short, they are running backs in name only. They are playmakers. And heaven knows the Cleveland Browns have been in desperate need of playmakers.
Which brings us to Saquon Barkley. The Penn State running back put on a show at the combine that ensured his status as the top prospect in this year’s NFL draft. But in a deep running back class there are those who would say the Browns should pass on Barkley’s talent and ensure they get their quarterback, even if he will sit for a year or more. I submit for your consideration.
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Barkley checks off all the physical boxes, much as Myles Garrett did last year. However, what elevates Barkley to another level is that, like Garrett, he has a desire to compete. He didn’t have to play in the Fiesta Bowl, but he did and ran for 175 yards. He didn’t have to participate at the combine. He did and the results speak for themselves.
Barkley is off the charts when it comes to the character question as well. Character can be a fuzzy argument when talking about football players, but all too often we see that character issues don’t matter — until they do. When you talk about changing a culture, the Browns could do worse than with a combination of Barkley and Garrett.
And for the cynics who would argue that Barkley’s talents would be wasted in a Hue Jackson offense, remember the Browns now have an offensive coordinator in Todd Haley who has proven that he knows what to do with a talent like Barkley. In three of the last four seasons with Haley as offensive coordinator, Le’Veon Bell was the Steelers leading rusher and second leading receiver behind only Antonio Brown.
In his article that posted on the Sporting News, Bill Bender perhaps put it best.
"“The Browns could shop for a running back later in the draft. Someone like San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny or Tennessee’s John Kelly would fit. They have other needs to address, especially at quarterback. Logic suggests the Browns split those first two picks with a quarterback — like USC’s Sam Darnold or UCLA’s Josh Rosen — and a defensive player, such as Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick.There’s nothing wrong with that plan. That’s the one we pitched minutes after the Browns fell to 0-16 for the season.But ask that question one more time.How did we pass on that guy?” — Bill Bender, Sporting News"
Please bring up Kareem Hunt and Alvin Kamara. I’ll see that pair of aces and raise you first-round selections named Melvin Gordon, Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette. I’m not reaching back to 2007 and Adrian Peterson or 2001 and LaDainian Tomlinson. These were running backs drafted in the last three years.
There’s no question that both Hunt and Kamara flew under the radar and were available in the third round. The flaw in the “all running backs are the same” argument however is it doesn’t consider where either back would go if we redrafted the 2017 draft. Knowing what we know today, both would surely be first rounders. But so, still, would Gordon, Gurley, Elliott and Fournette.
Hunt, Kamara, and for that matter a certain 40-year old quarterback picked in the sixth round, prove there are exceptions to every rule. But as long as we’re throwing around articles of faith, Bill Parcells famously said:
"“Make one exception and next thing you know you have a team full of exceptions.” — Parcells via Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel"
Have we forgotten Greg Little so soon?
It’s true that you can never say any player is a “can’t miss”. But with Barkley it’s as close as you can get. By making Saquon Barkley the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns would be taking a player that even the Wall Street Journal is suggesting may be the best running back prospect ever.
Next: Barkley at 1, Allen at 4?
So I ask you, Browns nation. After two years that have netted us a total of one victory, don’t we deserve the best?