If you had the opportunity to watch each and every snap that former Detroit Lions RB Barry Sanders ever took, or if you have at least watched his eye-opening highlights, you are well aware that he was in a league of his own. According to a group of retired and current NFL scouts, Sanders is one of the ‘GOAT draft prospects’ in the history of the NFL Draft.
Key Points
- Barry Sanders is considered one of the greatest NFL Draft prospects in history by a group of retired and current NFL scouts.
- Despite not having a multisport resume, Sanders had one of the most productive seasons in college football history in 1988, rushing for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns.
- Sanders was selected by the Detroit Lions as the No. 3 pick in the 1989 NFL draft, which also featured four eventual Hall of Famers in the first five picks.
Barry Sanders voted ‘GOAT draft prospect’ by NFL scouts
ESPN “set out to ask several dozen current or retired evaluators who they say was the best prospect they’ve ever seen. Not the prospect who turned out to be the best player, but in that moment of game film or digital video, pro day or game day, they said to themselves, “That is the best I’ve ever seen.” Barry Sanders was one of the players who received GOAT status.
From ESPN:
A personnel director said “I didn’t scout Jim Brown, but you talk to people who played against Jim Brown or saw Jim Brown play and he will always be the standard for them, everybody else is second and nothing will change that, ever. I guess that’s where I was at with Barry after that Heisman year. Different player than Jim Brown, but I thought I was seeing the future.”
Sanders did not have the kind of multisport résumé of others who received votes, but he did have one of the most productive seasons in college football history in 1988. In Oklahoma State’s 11 games that season, Sanders rushed for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns.
Sanders was selected by the Detroit Lions with the No. 3 pick in the 1989 NFL draft, a draft that featured four eventual Hall of Famers in the first five picks of the draft — Troy Aikman, Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders.
Bottom Line: Barry Sanders absolutely is the GOAT
For those of us who are Detroit Lions fans and were blessed to watch Barry throughout his career, his being named as a GOAT NFL Draft prospect comes as no surprise whatsoever. The other players who received “GOAT” status included Bo Jackson, John Elway, and Anthony Munoz.
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