Washington Football: 3 Takeaways from Fiesta Bowl loss to Penn State

2. Saquon Barkley is going to make an NFL fanbase exceedingly happy

There was a time this season when Penn State do-it-all running back was the front-runner to win the Heisman Trophy. A few bad games and some challenging Penn State losses saw his stock fall as Baker Mayfield‘s rose. Barkley did not win the Heisman, but it wasn’t because he wasn’t talented enough to do so.

Barkley entered the Fiesta Bowl with 1,134 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 47 passes for 594 yards and three receiving scores. If that wasn’t enough, he had two kick return touchdowns and completed two of two passes for 36 yards and a touchdown. And that was just this season alone.

Barkley carried the ball 18 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught seven passes for 38 yards. Should he choose to leave for the NFL he will end his Penn State career with more than 5,000 all-purpose yards.

Entering bowl season the latest NFL Mock Drafts had Barkley off the board early in the first round. It wouldn’t be outrageous to see Barkley become the first running back selected No. 1 overall since fellow Penn State tailback Ki-Jana Carter was taken No.1 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1995.

There’s always a chance that the junior decides to return to the Nittany Lions for his senior season. But more likely than not, Barkley will don a new jersey next season, and that’s will be great news for one lucky NFL team.