Pro Football Focus is continuing to roll out its top 101 players of 2018 list, in reverse order. A pair of New York Giants have been added, with Rookie of the Year Saquon Barkley checking in at No. 27 and Odell Beckham Jr. at No. 36.
Barkley and Beckham join Olivier Vernon, No. 70 on the PFF list.
Were there really 26 players in the NFL better than Barkley in 2018? Here is what PFF said:
The AP offensive rookie of the year led the league with 71 missed tackles forced this year, while his 31 missed tackles after the catch alone would have ranked 20th among all running backs in terms of total missed tackles forced. He also led all 47 NFL running backs with 100-plus carries in breakaway percentage at 54.0%, as 706 of his 1,307 rushing yards came from runs of 15 or more yards.
Beckham played 12 games in his comeback season. PFF said:
After missing most of 2017, Odell Beckham Jr. bounced back in 2018 with an elite grade of 90.0, ranking fifth among wide receivers. He gained an average of 2.26 yards per route run, ranking 12th at the position.