Souhan: Eye test says Saquon Barkley deserves to be in the GOAT conversation

Super Bowl LIX will feature a player who may be the greatest ever at his position.

Patrick Mahomes? He’s trending toward that distinction.

But this is about Saquon Barkley, who as yet can make no career-long statistical claim to being the greatest ever but may be, anyway.

Barkley is about to turn 28. He ranks 65th all-time in regular-season NFL rushing, with 7,216 yards. He has virtually no chance of breaking Emmitt Smith’s all-time record of 18,355.

So how can anyone suggest that Barkley is the greatest ever?

Because of the eye test.

And the way he’s dominating his first extended postseason.

Smith probably isn’t the greatest running back in history. He amassed his yards playing behind a huge, excellent offensive line, on a championship-caliber offense, and continued his career in Arizona after he had lost much of his effectiveness.

Barry Sanders is the best running back I’ve seen in person. No one in NFL history could make the moves he made. But he had a flaw: In his zeal to make the big, spectacular play, Sanders was willing to lose yardage, often setting up a mediocre offense with a second-and-12 or second-and-15 that virtually ended a Lions drive.

But his risk-taking yielded rewards: Sanders’ 5.0 yards per rush is the best of the modern era.

Jim Brown was exceptional, but it’s hard to compare him to modern-day backs who play in passing offenses and face 250-pound linebackers. His 5.2 yards per rush is the highest of anyone in the top 30 in NFL rushing yards.

Walter Payton might have been the greatest ever, because of his combination of power and explosiveness, but his mark of 4.4 yards per carry doesn’t stand out among the greats. He, like Barkley, passed the eye test.

How can Barkley compare to these greats?

By combining the best traits of those at the top of the charts.

One of Smith’s greatest strengths was his willingness to hit the line of scrimmage immediately. He didn’t dance, didn’t risk taking losses. He cut off the backs of his linemen, hid himself behind their bulk, and became elusive only after getting past the first line of the defense.

Barkley mimics Smith in that regard. He saves his elusiveness for the secondary.

Sanders’ greatest strength was elusiveness and creativity. His powerful legs and agility allowed him to make jump cuts and spins that left defenders grasping air. He may have been the hardest back in history to tackle.

Barkley mimics Sanders’ creativity. Earlier this season, Barkley executed a backward leapfrog of a defender, flying right over his head. Even Sanders never tried that. Like Sanders, Barkley can spin and jump-cut and is also powerful enough to move the pile and break arm tackles.

Like Brown and Adrian Peterson, Barkley can turn a narrow opening in the defensive line into a long touchdown run. Smith lacked top-end speed. Barkley does not get caught in the open field.

Proclaiming Barkley the best back of all time may seem presumptuous. Calling his 2024 season the greatest ever by a running back is not.

He has seven touchdown runs of 60 yards or more this season, including three in the playoffs. No other player has had more than three in their entire postseason career.

If he had played in the Eagles’ postseason finale, Barkley likely would have gained the 100 yards he needed to break Eric Dickerson’s regular-season record of 2,105 yards.

With 53 yards in the Super Bowl, Barkley would produce the first 2,500-yard season in league history, including playoffs.

He needs just 30 yards to break Terrell Davis’ record of 2,476, set in 1998.

Davis holds the record for most yards from scrimmage during a season, including playoffs, with 2,762. Barkley needs just 3 yards to break that record.

Barkley’s performance this season prompts this question: How would we view him if he had been drafted by a team with a quality offensive line and offensive balance?

Sometimes the eye test is the right test.