new york giants saquon barkley
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Pro Football Focus has named New York Giants stud Saquon Barkley as one of the top rookie running backs of the decade.

Saquon Barkley underwent a disappointing sophomore campaign in the NFL last year…to say the least. Battling an ankle injury and dealing with a below-average offensive line, the New York Giants running back could only conjure up 1,003 rushing yards and 1,441 scrimmage yards.

But in spite of that, you must admit Barkley’s rookie-season performance was nothing short of sensational. Having racked up 1,307 rushing yards and a league-high 2,028 yards from scrimmage, it was clear Dave Gettleman made a great decision in drafting Barkley at No. 2 overall. And recently, Pro Football Focus honored Saquon for his 2018 efforts, ranking him the third-highest-graded rookie running back of the decade.

Barkley earned the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, the Pepsi Rookie of the Year Award, the FedEx Ground Player of the Year Award, and his inaugural Pro Bowl nod that season.

Former NFC East talent Alfred Morris tops this list. Morris rushed for 1,613 yards and 13 touchdowns during his 2012 rookie campaign with Washington.

Throughout his Pro Bowl rookie year in 2013, former Packers running back Eddie Lacy gained a total of 1,178 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns, and 1,435 scrimmage yards.

Last on the list is former Kansas City Chiefs and current Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt, who led the league with 1,327 rushing yards during his 2017 Pro Bowl season. He additionally notched eight rushing touchdowns and racked up 455 receiving yards with a trio of touchdown catches en route to totaling 1,782 yards from scrimmage.

Ryan Honey is a staff writer and host of the Wide Right Podcast.