Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley, and Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette find themselves facing nearly identical pressures heading into this season which their teams get underway with Sunday's meeting at MetLife Stadium.
Back in April, the Giants chose Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft despite the opportunity to take a potential successor for 37-year-old quarterback Eli Manning, one year after the Jaguars stuck by inconsistent signal caller Blake Bortles and took Fournette No. 4 overall in 2017.
During a conference calls with reporters on Wednesday, Fournette says that despite what is said on the outside, that the key to succeeding as a highly-touted running back is to block out the pressure or expectations.