A multifaceted, playmaking running back is one of the centerpieces in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. It stands to reason then that they had a ton of interest in Penn State’s Saquon Barkley in this year’s draft. The New York Giants running back and No. 2 overall pick told Henry McKenna of The Big Lead that San Francisco showed a lot of interest in him in the lead up to the 2018 NFL draft.
“I never really got interest from the Browns to be completely honest,” Barkley said. “There’s some teams that won’t talk to you, but they know everything about you. I’ve met with a lot of teams. I did meet with the Giants. They liked me a lot. I knew that the 49ers liked me a lot. There were some other teams.”
There was plenty to like about Barkley, who emerged as one of college football’s premier playmakers during his three years at Penn State. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry and scored 43 touchdowns on 671 rushes. Through the air, he racked up 1,195 yards on 102 receptions with eight touchdowns.
His combine performance backed up his on-field productivity. Barkley has all the makings of a star, so Shanahan and general manager John Lynch being enamored with him is not surprising to see.
It was never realistic for the 49ers to get Barkley if they stayed at the No. 9 overall pick. They would’ve had to unload significant draft capital if they were going to move up from that slot to the No. 2 pick. The chances of that diminished greatly when the team signed Jerick McKinnon in free agency.
Barkley’s NFL career got off to a hot start with 106 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries Sunday. He’ll likely never get a chance to play in Shanahan’s offense, but the idea of Barkley in San Francisco’s backfield will always be fun to imagine.
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