When Saquon Barkley was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, it did not come as a surprise.
Coming out of Penn State, Barkley was tabbed as a generational talent at the running back position. He showed spurts of greatness throughout his tenure with the New York Giants, despite injuries and a poor supporting cast around him. But his true emergence came last year, in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
After departing New York in free agency for their hated rival, Barkley racked up a career year, rushing 345 times for a 2,005-yard season, scoring 13 touchdowns in the process. He helped lead Philadelphia to its second Super Bowl title and was awarded the Offensive Player of the Year award. Now, Barkley says there's no debate, he's the best running back in the NFL.
Barkley Calls Himself League's Best, Names Most Talented
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In an [interview with](https://www.si.com/nfl/saquon-barkley-super-bowl-season-preview-digital-cover) Sports Illustrated's Greg Bishop, he was asked who the league's best running back is, and with little hesitation, Barkley named himself.
"I'm super confident in myself. And I'm the best in the NFL." The former Penn State star said.
Along with the OPOY award, Barkley was also a first-team All-Pro and Pro-Bowler. It's hard to envision Philadelphia achieving its Super Bowl victory without him last season, as the year before, they suffered a gut-wrenching Wild Card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Eagles were aggressive that following offseason, and it paid off big time with the addition of Barkley.
While the seven-year veteran believes he's the best in the league, he tabbed an up-and-coming star as the most talented in the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons' Bijan Robinson.
"Do I think I'm the most talented one right now?" Barkley asked. "I don't. Bijan \[Robinson\] is the most talented. Puts it all together."
He also took the time to praise Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, both 23 years old, as another super-talented back. If Barkley wants to stay at the top of the list of best runners in the NFL, he will have to follow up his monster season with another stat-sheet-stuffing year, and with Philadelphia primed to run it back, he should be able to do just that.