Beast of the East: Saquon Barkley or Ezekiel Elliott?

Saquon Barkley of the Giants and Ezekiel Elliott of the Cowboys are two of the most dynamic running backs in the NFL right now. Both players burst onto the scene during their rookie seasons in 2018 and 2016, respectively.

But if you were building a franchise, which of the two would you want as the centerpiece on offense?

That’s a question recently asked by the NFL Network. It's an interesting question considering that, starting in 2020, Barkey will get a chance to perform in the same offense that Elliott has excelled in since entering the NFL.

You can't go wrong with either running back, in all honesty, but since the assignment calls for picking one of the two, let's try to answer this tough question.

Many people will argue that the two backs are similar in a lot of ways. Barkley and Elliott are both very skilled at breaking tackles and trucking defenders. 

They are close in size, although Barkley has an almost 10-pound advantage. Another thing they have in common is the ability to be a significant threat as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.

When looking at what Barkley and Elliott did in college, both backs put up incredible numbers over their last two seasons. Elliott rushed for over 1,800 yards in each of his final two years at Ohio State, scoring 41 touchdowns over that period. 

Barkley never put up that kind of stats on the ground, as he ran for 1,496 yards during his sophomore season at Penn State, and then totaled 1,271 rushing yards the following year. Barkley scored 18 rushing touchdowns in each of those seasons.

Although Elliott was the more explosive rusher in college, Barkley was the more significant threat in the passing game.

Elliott had just one receiving touchdown during his three-year collegiate career. He had 28 receptions for 220 yards during his sophomore season, and then caught 27 passes for 206 yards in 2015.

Comparatively, Barkley had 28 receptions for 402 yards and four touchdowns during his sophomore season in 2016. The following year, he had 54 catches for 632 yards and three touchdowns.

Once they got to the pros, expectations for Barkley and Elliott were very high. Both players became a vital part of their respective offense right away. Elliott led the league in rushing during his rookie season in 2016, accumulating 1,631 yards on the ground and scoring 15 touchdowns.

He certainly benefited from having one of the best offensive leagues in the NFL, but also proved why the Cowboys used the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft on him.

As his NFL career has progressed, Elliott has become more involved in the passing game. In 2018, he had 77 catches for 567 yards and three touchdowns.

That same season, Barkley had 91 receptions and over 700 receiving yards. Barkley also rushed for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns that year, averaging 5.0 yards per attempt.

Barkley’s heavy involvement in the passing game is one of the main reasons why a strong case can be made toward favoring him as the better option to build a franchise around.

Even though he played in 13 games during the 2019 season and battled a high ankle sprain, he still had 52 catches and 438 receiving yards. By comparison, Elliott played in all 16 games last year and had 54 receptions for 420 yards.

Barkley’s ability to catch a short screen pass and turn it into a huge gain is one reason why he’s so dynamic.

As impressive as Elliott’s rookie campaign was in 2016, he has not yet been able to top what he did that season. The closest he came to doing so was in 2018 when he gained 1,434 yards on the ground and again led the league in rushing.

Elliott’s speed, strength, and ability to break tackles are just some of the reasons he’s one of the top running backs in football.

Barkley is about to enter his third season in the NFL. He will undoubtedly benefit from having rookie tackle Andrew Thomas as one of his blockers.

The Giants’ offensive line looks very different from when Barkley came into the league two years ago. With that in mind, it would not be unrealistic to say that he could have an even bigger season than he did in 2018.

As good as Barkley’s been when he has been fully healthy, he’s just getting started. A controversial draft pick--many felt then and still do that the Giants messed up by not drafting a franchise quarterback at that spot--the Giants' commitment to Barkley points to a final reason why he is the better running back to build a franchise around compared to Elliott.

Barkley thus far has been an impeccable character on and off the field. Whereas Elliott has had a few incidents, including a six-game league-imposed suspension in 2017 for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, and, more recently being the target of a lawsuit brought about by his pool cleaner who alleged that his dogs attacked one of the employees, the last thing any player wants to do is make headlines off the field for the wrong reasons.

The Giants’ organization has always placed a lot of importance on the character of their players. Barkley thus far has been the face of the franchise, and he's represented it well. With Eli Manning having retired, it wouldn't be surprising if Barkley becomes the top alpha male in that locker room.

To build your franchise around a running back, you need to find a game-changing talent, since the average career of an NFL running back is under five years.

Barkley and Elliott are both dynamic, quick, and very difficult to take down. You could justify building around either back, but Barkley is the better choice at the end of the day.