STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- When he hears his named called next month at the NFL draft it won't matter to Saquon Barkley that if in that moment when his childhood dream comes true he's on stage holding up a Cleveland Browns jersey.
In fact, playing in Cleveland is a challenge the upbeat Barkley said he'd embrace. Sure, it's one thing to deliver the politically correct answer -- especially on stage at the NFL Scouting Combine with his NFL draft fate out of his hands and all eyes on him -- but it's also most perfect of Barkley responses because it's his personality on full display.
"That’d be awesome," Barkley said of the challenge that would be helping revive the lowly Browns, who hold the first and fourth overall picks. He met with the media Thursday and will run the 40-yard dash and complete on-field drills Friday. "(It's) something bigger than you. If you go to a team like that, obviously, they’ve had some rough years. But I think they’re just a couple of pieces away. They do have a lot of young talent. They’ve brought in a new offensive coordinator. They only won one game, but they were in a lot of games. You want to be a part of something like that. Something that’s bigger than yourself. Something that will leave a legacy."
Barkley spoke many times at Penn State about wanting to leave his mark in Happy Valley and with his name cemented in the record book and a group of some potential college stars left behind him his success and his work ethic rubbed off on the rest of them. There certainly were pieces around him at Penn State, but no player on the team made more of a difference -- whether because of the yards compiled or what the defense schemed because of him just being on the field -- than Barkley. He'd be that last person to tell somebody that, which is why his willingness to go to Cleveland could make for a fascinating pairing.
But, should the Browns pass on him at the top spot then who is to say the Giants with the No. 2 overall pick let the kid who was born in the Bronx get out of town?
"This whole myth of devaluing running backs, I find it kind of comical," said Giants General Manager Dave Gettleman this week at the combine. "At the end of the day, if he’s a great player he’s a great player. It doesn’t matter what position it is."
The Giants could go with a quarterback or even an offensive lineman rather than Barkley, who grew up rooting on the Jets alongside his dad who has the team's logo on a tattoo. Should Barkley still be on the board with the fourth spot then Indianapolis would've passed him up or been willing to trade their pick, something that could come into play as teams weigh the need to fill many holes rather than going with one elite player.
So what about the possibility of suiting up for the Giants or the Colts? For Barkley, it's similar to Cleveland and everyone else.
"Any team in my mind would be a good fit," Barkley said. "I’m competitive. But I don’t care if I’m drafted 1, 5 or 72 or the last pick. I’m gonna come in with my head low ready to work. That’s not going to change me. No matter where I’m drafted or who I’m drafted by, they’re going to get the same person."
And that person already has been displayed on Nike ads since signing an endorsement deal this winter, which came shortly after he signed with Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports.
Speed knows no limit. @saquonb21 is ready to #GetGone in the Vapor Untouchable 3 this weekend. pic.twitter.com/fa10dKRFLU
— Nike Football (@usnikefootball) February 28, 2018
The expectations and excitement will go to whatever team drafts the hulking 6-foot, 233-pound back who already was generating a buzz in Indianapolis before he even hit the field at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Barkley knocked out 29 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press on Thursday, all part of a workout that likely will dazzle those in attendance but that won't shock those who've followed his career. That, at least, was Penn State strength coach Dwight Galt's take on Barkley's upcoming workout, one where Barkley tied Georgia's Nick Chubb for the most reps on the bench at the position.
"The whole country wants to talk about Saquon, but anybody here that’s been watching – including you guys – it’s kind of old hat for us," Galt said this week. "We’ve already seen it. We’re all really excited for him."
While the on-field workout and the measurables won't mean too much this week as Barkley's game film speaks for itself and what he says in meetings will be more important, he's certainly confident about how he could project at the next level and rightfully so. Barkley pointed to Ezekiel Elliott as someone whose style of play he looks up to and for those who watched Barkley all along, the then true freshman playing on a hobbled ankle in The Horseshoe with Elliott on the other sideline made it clear that night that this back could go toe-to-toe with Elliott.
"He’s arguably one of the best running backs in the NFL. Maybe the best," Barkley said of Elliott. "He came from the same division, same conference as I came from. He was able to have a lot of success in the Big Ten and I was able to have a lot of success in the Big Ten. His game was able to translate to the next level, and I hope the same goes for me."
What are Barkley's top testing numbers to keep an eye on? Here's what they were at Penn State:
• 40-yard dash: 4.33
• NFL Shuttle: 4.00
• Vertical: 38 inches
• Broad jump: 10' 10"
