Welcome to the NFL: Giants' Saquon Barkley has thrilling long run for first career TD

Frank Schwab
·NFL writer

Yeah, that’s why the New York Giants drafted Saquon Barkley.

The rookie running back, the second overall pick of the draft, was having a relatively quiet day against a tough Jacksonville Jaguars defense in his debut. Then he had the play everyone will remember from his first NFL game.

Barkley took a handoff in the fourth quarter, made two defenders miss in close range near the line of scrimmage, then bounced outside to the right. He outran one more defender to the corner and was gone.

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley scored a long touchdown run in his first NFL game. (AP)
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley scored a long touchdown run in his first NFL game. (AP)

It’s hard to pick up 68-yard runs in the NFL. It’s really hard against the Jaguars, perhaps the fastest and best defense in the NFL. But Barkley is special.

Saquon Barkley is a special rookie

Barkley was one of the best running back prospects ever. He was a once-in-lifetime blend of speed, size, agility and college production. The Giants were criticized for picking him second overall instead of taking a quarterback, but it’s not like anybody thought Barkley wasn’t a special player.

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Barkley showed that ability on one big run Sunday. It might have been a challenging day overall because of the matchup, but Barkley is capable of producing a big day on just one touch.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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