Kirk Herbstreit: Saquon Barkley Is 2018 NFL Draft's 'Best Player, Period'

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit believes Penn State running back Saquon Barkley is the "best player, period" in the 2018 NFL draft that starts Thursday.

Herbstreit revealed as much Tuesday in his 2018 NFL draft Herbies, which ranked the top prospects in a number of different categories. Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith was second in the "best player, period" category, while Washington defensive lineman Vita Vea was third.

Barkley received love from Herbstreit elsewhere, as he was second in the most explosive player category behind Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson and first in the instant-impact category over Alabama cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick and Texas A&M wide receiver Christian Kirk.

Herbstreit wrote:

"In each of the past two seasons, we've seen a rookie running back lead the league in rushing, with Ezekiel Elliott in 2016 and Kareem Hunt in 2017. Barkley is good enough to be the third straight. We know running back is a position where guys can transition to the NFL quickly in terms of learning curve—in fact, the ability to pick up blitzes matters as much as reading blocking on runs—and Barkley is ready to make an immediate impact."

While that is high praise for the Penn State prospect, Barkley demonstrated a talent worthy of it throughout his collegiate career.

He ran for more than 1,000 yards all three years with the Nittany Lions and tallied 1,271 rushing yards, 632 receiving yards and 24 total touchdowns—two of which came on kickoff returns and one on a pass he threw—during the 2017 campaign.

Barkley's ability to contribute in the aerial attack suggests he will be able to stay on the field all three downs, and he can provide whichever team drafts him with a spark on special teams as well.

The question now is where Herbstreit's "best player, period" will be taken in Thursday's draft, which starts at 8 p.m. ET. He may be the best player, but the Cleveland Browns are picking first and have long been searching for a franchise quarterback to fix their woes.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller projected Barkley to go to the Browns in his most recent mock draft, although it was via the No. 4 overall pick instead of the first selection.