New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley has won the 2018 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
It’s official. New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley has won the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (who won the same award in 2014) presented the hardware to Barkley on Saturday at the NFL Honors in Atlanta.
The second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft was previously selected as the Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America in early January. Earlier this week, Barkley was also voted by fans for the Pepsi Rookie of the Year award and played in his first career Pro Bowl last Sunday in Orlando, FL.
Saquon additionally won the FedEx Ground Player of the Year award for best running back. He evidently ousted Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliot and Rams RB Todd Gurley for the award.
Barkley beat out Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield for this specific honor. Mayfield broke an NFL rookie record for single-season touchdown passes with 27 this past year. Therefore, there was speculation that Mayfield would come away with this award.
It’s clear however why Barkley was selected as the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year just by looking at his numbers. The former Penn State Nittany Lion rushed for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns in his debut season in the pros. He also caught 91 passes for 721 yards and four scores through the air.
His 2,028 yards from scrimmage led the NFL and made Barkley only the third rookie in NFL history to surpass the 2,000-scrimmage yard mark. Barkley’s 91 catches were also an NFL rookie record for running backs as well as tied a Giants franchise record for single-season catches by a rookie. Beckham previously set the record in 2014
What a year for the 21-year old running back. Props to Giants GM Dave Gettleman for making the right call in last year’s draft. Barkley will surely continue his dominance at the running back position for years to come.
