Getty Images Saquon Barkley had a strong message for Eagles NFL Draft pick Will Shipley.
Saquon Barkley didn’t waste any time welcoming Philadelphia Eagles fourth-round pick Will Shipley to the NFL.
Shipley told reporters shortly after the Eagles chose him with the No. 127 overall selection on Saturday afternoon that Barkley was among the first people to reach out to him.
The All-Pro running back and former No. 2 overall pick out of Penn State had four words for his newest teammate.
“Get ready to work,” Shipley told reporters was the text message he received from Barkley.
Shipley arrives in the City of Brotherly Love having amassed 3,350 yards from scrimmage during his three seasons at Clemson, with 33 total touchdowns.
“So, I’m ready to get after it,” Shipley said, of Barkley’s message. “Yeah, that’s going to be one of the biggest things for me, is to go on and just try and get as much knowledge from him as he’s willing to give.
“And I understand he’s one of the best to do it in this league, so to have that opportunity to learn from someone like that is something I don’t take lightly.”
The Eagles signed Barkley to a massive three-year contract worth $37.75 million as free agency got underway, and figures to be a focal point of Philadelphia’s offense, both on the ground and as a receiver out of the backfield.
Shipley is a piece of the Eagles’ backfield puzzle alongside Barkley and veteran Kenneth Gainwell, but could play a key role in the passing game, especially potentially creating mismatches against opposing defenses on the field at the same time as Barkley given each of their skill-sets in the passing game in open space.
“I’m a huge Saquon fan,” Shipley said. “He reached out to me pretty quickly after I got drafted, just a couple minutes, so I’m so excited to just share a backfield with all those guys.
“You know, I know that I’m going go in and work my butt off and do whatever the team needs me to do to be successful. Whatever that takes is what I’m willing to do. So could not be happier to learn from someone like Saquon and share a backfield with all the great backs we have.”
Eagles Collect Future Draft Picks via Draft Day Trades
The Eagles were among the more active teams when it came to wheeling and dealing via draft day trades on Saturday afternoon.
General manager Howie Roseman and the Eagles now have nine total picks in the 2025 NFL Draft next spring:
- Round 1
- Round 2
- Round 3
- Round 3 (via Miami Dolphins)
- Round 4 (via Detroit Lions)
- Round 5
- Round 5 (via Houston Texans)
- Round 7
- Round 7
Eagles Believe Saquon Barkley is Worth Altering Philosophies For
The Eagles, in recent years have been reticent to overpay for running backs, including allowing Miles Sanders to walk via free agency in 2023, and opting not to re-sign D’Andre Swift this past March.
But, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie believes Barkley is an exception.
“We’re always looking for inefficiencies in the marketplace. And if we think the league is overvaluing the position or undervaluing a position, we will try our best … [to] take advantage of those inefficiencies,” Lurie told reporters during the NFL Annual Meeting. “That’s important as you try to maximize the salary cap and how you allocate resources within a defined space.”
Philadelphia is betting big that placing Barkley behind the Eagles’ elite offensive line will bring out the best of the star running back who rushed for 2,274 yards and 16 touchdowns, combined, the past two seasons, despite playing behind a New York Giants offensive line that consistently ranks near the bottom of the league.