Saquon Barkley Lands Stunningly low on top-100 NFL Players List

Saquon Barkley has had a history of shutting up doubters with his on-field play. He'll have his opportunity to do so again in 2026.

The Philadelphia Eagles running back's status is cratering, since he landed No. 72 on the list of the NFL's top-100 players as judged by PFN.

Barkley, of course, had a season for the ages in 2024 but has fallen on every list on which he appeared this offseason.

But he only dropped eight spots in this year's PFSN list, from 64th to 72nd, and was the eighth-ranked running back. That rating puts him in line with his ranking on the top-10 list from Pro-Football Focus, where he finished eighth as well.

Saquon Barkley Named the No. 72 Player on PFN's NFL top-100 List

Barkley's 2025 season was excellent by most standard numbers, especially when considering he played amid a groin injury that plagued him at points.

Barkley had 1,140 rushing yards and amassed more than 1,400 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns. Of course his quarterback, Jalen Hurts, pilfered at least a handful of tush-push rushing TDs too.

But Barkley was far less efficient in 2025, which led to his drop on the data-based PFN top-100 list.

"When you become one of just nine players in NFL history to reach 2,000 rushing yards in a single season, that production becomes very tough to replicate," Infante wrote. "That was obviously the case for Saquon Barkley, whose efficiency dropped significantly in 2025. After leading the league in PFN RB Impact Scoring in 2024, he came in ranked at No. 24 at his position in 2025."

Barkley has had bounce-back seasons twice in his career, first in 2022 when he had 1,650 all-purpose yards and finished third in Comeback Player of the Year voting while leading the New York Giants to the playoffs. The other was in 2024, with his record-breaking 2,005-yard campaign.

So the reporters at PFN know better than to doubt him.

"Even if he didn't keep up his All-Pro production last year, we know what Barkley is capable of," Infante wrote. "It's not smart to doubt an athlete of his caliber.

Saquon Barkley Ranked Much Higher on the NFL's top-100 List

PFN's methodology is heavily weighted by its Impact Scoring rating, which is how Barkley ended up so low on last year's list.

But NFL personnel know better than to doubt Barkley. That's why he ended up No. 3 on the ESPN-compiled list of top-10 running backs and is going to be much higher on the NFL's top-100 players list as judged by the players.

Barkley has not yet appeared on the latter list, and we know Nos. 100-69 as of Monday. Lamar Jackson was the No. 69 player on the list, and Barkley's former teammate A.J. Brownfell to 80th after his down and drama-filled 2025 season.

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This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 5:57 AM.