Saquon Barkley is going to hear his name called early when the 2018 NFL Draft kicks off this April. Perhaps as a precursor to that, he’s been named as the first upcoming rookie to land a sponsorship deal with Nike.
Barkley announced the deal on Twitter.
Thank you so much for allowing me to pursue my dream of becoming a Nike Athlete! @usnikefootball @Nike @CoachTomShaw pic.twitter.com/UbWKrMD0AA
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) February 9, 2018
Not long afterward, Nike welcomed him to the team.
Welcome to the squad. 💪 https://t.co/FZldEyMt1c
— Nike Football (@usnikefootball) February 9, 2018
We’ve recently pegged Barkley as a top-six pick in our latest NFL mock draft. He’s a ridiculously talented player who can do just as much damage as a receiver as he will on the ground. And depending on how much risk his new team is willing to take, Barkley can be a dangerous option in the return game, too.
He’s going to be an electric professional, and clearly Nike is banking on him to make his mark early. Last year, Nike inked Deshaun Watson, Christian McCaffery, Dalvin Cook and John Ross to sponsorship deals, and three of those four showed tremendous promise.