Penn State fans witnessed Saquon Barkley put together a legendary highlight reel during his three-year Nittany Lions career. Following his first NFL season with the New York Giants, he's quickly become a household name far beyond Happy Valley. Barkley was named the league's Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America on Tuesday afternoon. The PFWA additionally recognized Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard as Defensive Rookie of the Year and Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield as Rookie of the Year. Barkley, the second overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, shined despite persistent team struggles. He gained 1,307 rushing yards on 11 carries, tallied 721 receiving yards on 91 receptions and finished his debut campaign with 15 total touchdowns. Only two other NFL rookies have ever surpassed 2,000 yards from scrimmage, and none have recorded more catches as a running back. "He is a once in a lifetime-type player with his work ethic, football IQ and athletic prowess," Penn State coach James Franklin said in a draft-day athletic department release. His success is a substantial silver lining to an otherwise underwhelming Giants season. New York started the season 1-7, established midseason momentum with four wins in a five-game span, then Giants wrapped up 2018 with three consecutive defeats. The franchise faces a crossroads at quarterback, where 38-year-old Eli Manning remained starter throughout 2018. There has been growing speculation that the Giants could consider pairing Barkley with a top quarterback prospect. Expect to hear plenty regarding Ohio State standout Dwayne Haskins and Oklahoma Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray as analysts speculate how New York will utilize the No. 6 overall pick. Barkley, who became the first NFL rookie with at least 1,200 rushing yards and 600 receiving yards since Detroit Lions star Billy Sims in 1980, earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week recognition after a Week 11 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In that contest, he tallied 142 rushing yards and three touchdowns. It was the first of four consecutive 100-yard rushing games. Barkley left an indelible mark on the Penn State football program while emerging among America's must-see players and establishing and several team records. He sits atop all-time Nittany Lions lists for rushing touchdowns (43), total touchdowns (53) and all-purpose yards (5,538). In November, through a first-person story published on The Players' Tribune, Barkley shared plans to complete his PSU degree. “And when I do," he wrote. "I’m going to walk across that stage, hold my degree up high, and then go home and hang it on my wall to show my daughter that I accomplished something great. To show her that daddy is much more than just a football player." Barkley is the highest NFL draft pick to come out out of Penn State since 2000, when defensive lineman Courtney Brown and linebacker LaVar Arrington were selected first and second overall by the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins, respectively.<doc-sep>The Pro Football Writers of America named Saquon Barkley this season’s offensive rookie of the year on Tuesday afternoon. Barkley won the offensive rookie of the year award after becoming the third player in NFL history to gain more than 2,000 total yards of offense in his first season. Although he played for a 5-11 Giants team, Barkley dominated opposing defenses to post 1,307 rushing yards, 721 receiving yards, and 15 total touchdowns in his debut season. No. 26 didn’t beat out Baker Mayfield for the overall rookie of the year award, but he joined Franco Harris as the only other player in Penn State football history to win offensive rookie of the year honors. Harris was given the award by the PFWA and the Associated Press after scoring 10 touchdowns and rushing for 1,055 yards as a Pittsburgh Steeler in 1972. Additionally, Barkley became the second New York Giant to win the award after Odell Beckham Jr. won it in 2014. He was also named to the PFWA’s all-rookie team alongside Mayfield and fellow top 10 draft picks Bradley Chubb and Roquan Smith. Barkley will play in this year’s Pro Bowl on January 27, and he’s still one of five nominees for the NFL’s official rookie of the year award. That award is entirely decided by a fan vote, and the winner will be announced at the NFL’s eighth annual awards ceremony on February 2.<doc-sep>New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley has been voted as Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America. Barkley lost out on overall Rookie of the Year honors to Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, who tossed a rookie record 27 touchdown passes and helped the Browns go from zero wins in 20178 to seven victories in 2018. Barkley became the third NFL rookie to have over 2,000 scrimmage yards in a season and set the NFL rookie record for most receptions by a running back. Darius Leonard of the Indianapolis Colts was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year. Barkley was joined by Giants guard Will Hernandez on the PFWA All-Rookie Team. The PFWA also announced it’s all-NFL, All-NFC and All-AFC teams. The only Giant honored in that group was placekicker Aldrick Rosas, who was named to the All-NFC Team.<doc-sep>
Flip Reddit 519 Shares On the list of things that the New York Giants fans can celebrate after last season, the rise of Saquon Barkley is near the top. The Giants spent the second overall pick on Barkley and while there were some doubts early on about whether or not they should have drafted a quarterback, those were quickly moved to the back-burner when Barkley provided immediate value for the team and lifted them as one of their best offensive players. Barkley has received a lot of attention from around the league because of his status as one of the best running backs in the league despite his rookie status, and now, the Pro Football Writers of America have recognized that status by awarding Barkley the title of Offensive Rookie of the Year. When it was all said and done, there weren’t many other players that would have made sense as the award recipient. Barkley was just that good this year. What did the year look like by the numbers? Barkley finished with 1,307 yards on 261 rushing attempts while playing behind the subpar Giants offensive line. Additionally, all but two of the rushing touchdowns scored by the Giants last season were scored by Barkley, who also dominated attempts while playing in front of Wayne Gallman. Barkley was snubbed from the All-Pro teams earlier this month, so winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award is a nice consolation. It’s no MVP award, of course, but there will be time for that in the future. After all, it’s easy to forget at this point, after everything that’s happened this season, that Barkley is still a rookie that was still playing in college around the same time last year. One can only hope that soon, the New York Giants get the right players to help out Barkley and avoid wasting more good years from him.