My top ten running backs in the NFL right now!
This one is going to get some people mad.
Welcome back to another edition of ranking different NFL positions. We just recently did the wide receiver rankings and I’m almost certain it got some people mad. By putting Tyreek Hill at #7. By ranking DeAndre Hopkins at #5 and not including CeeDee Lamb on the list! But this ranking is so hard. Because there are so many running backs that are deserving of a top ten ranking but won’t rank in the top ten. But this is the list I came up with, that I know people will get mad at!
Honorable Mentions:
Cordarrelle Patterson
Ezekiel Elliott
Saquon Barkley
Antonio Gibson
Leonard Fournette
10. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers, 307 car, 1,200 rushing yards, 7 TD, 74 rec, 467 yds
Najee Harris was amazing as a rookie. Everything people said he could eventually do, he did! His combination of strength, agility, juking and speed will be dominant for many years. He’s also an amazing receiver. Along with his 1,200 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns, Harris had 467 receiving yards, as he led the NFL in touches (rushes and receptions combined). He was 4th in the NFL in yards of scrimmage, 2nd among all running backs. I don’t see a reason why he will decline this season, as he will continue to get more and more touches. It seemed hard to put him here as a rookie considering all of the running back competition, but it was harder not to put him on the list!
Awards: N/A
2022 projection: 310 car, 1,457 rushing yards, 10 TD, 75 rec, 450 yds, 6 TD
9. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers, 171 car, 799 rushing yards, 4 TD, 52, rec, 391 yds
I am going to get so much smack for this but I don’t care! I understand his rushing yards were significantly worse than other players. I understand he had his least amount of yards of scrimmage for a season since 2018. But at the same time, he is still such an impactful player. Everyone forgets that he is a very good receiver, and that they were giving A.J. Dillon a lot more carries, to give Jones more open opportunities. Jones had six receiving touchdowns last season, which is half of his career receiving touchdowns total. He is a talented player and with the loss of Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, expect his numbers to go up in not only receiving, but in rushing as well.
Awards: N/A
2022 projection: 180 car, 1,044 rushing yards, 6 TD, 45 rec, 360 yds, 7 TD
8. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers, 206 car, 911 rushing yards, 12 TD, 70 rec, 647 y
Ekeler has somehow not made the Pro Bowl yet in his career! He is a do-it-all-no one will stop me type running back. The impact he makes on the Chargers offense is unexplainable. Need him to run the ball? Did it at 4.5 yards a carry last year. Need to him to receive? Why not 647 yards and 8 TD! Just to let everyone know, he led the NFL in rushing and receiving touchdowns. Even though they have Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, I still expect him to replicate what he did last season, and maybe he will finally earn some respect and make his first ever Pro Bowl appearance!
Awards: N/A
2022 projection: 191 car, 993 rushing yards, 8 TD, 75 rec, 675 yds, 9 TD
7. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals, 292 car, 1,205 rushing yards, 13 TD, 42 rec, 314 yds
Mixon broke out in 2021 after an injured 2020 season (thank goodness he did for my fantasy football team)! He broke the 1,200 yard rushing mark, despite a heavy, pass-first offense led by Joe Burrow. He didn’t do as much in the receiving game as his competition behind him, but his running game differentiates himself from the ones behind him. The only concerning part of his game is his yards per carry (4.1), which ranks him not even in the top 25 for running backs. But at the same time, Derrick Henry only ran for 4.3 a clip and he’s one of the best in the league. His consistent dominance makes him a strong, speedy running back that's hard to bring down.
Awards: N/A
2022 projection: 274 car, 1,123 rushing yards, 11 TD, 45 rec, 392 yds, 4 TD
6. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints, 240 car, 898 rushing yards, 4 TD, 47 rec, 439 yds
Kamara is doing the unthinkable! He has now made the Pro Bowl in every single season of his career. And he’s played since 2017. Five straight Pro Bowl appearances, but in an unordinary way. Running backs are good at receiving, like Christian McCaffrey who had an unthinkable receiving season for a running back in 2019. But over these five Pro Bowl years, Kamara has never crossed the 1,000 yard rushing mark in his career. But specifically last season, this elusive, juking master, speedy and overall amazing running back had probably his most productive season of his career. He had a career high in rush attempts and a career low in games played. His 3.7 yards per carry is a concern, but to have a running back that is as durably stable and shows consistent dominance like Kamara, the yards per carry doesn’t matter. He may not even cross the 1,000 yard rushing mark this season again. But expect a 6th Pro Bowl appearance, as Kamara is trying to build an unordinary Hall of Fame career!
Awards: Pro Bowl
2022 projection: 221 car, 994 rushing yards, 8 TD, 52 rec, 494 yds, 7 TD
5. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings, 249 car, 1,159 rushing yards, 6 TD, 34 rec, 242 yds
Dalvin Cook is basically stapled to this list. He will be here for a very long time! Cook may be the most athletically talented running back in the entire NFL, with his combination of speed, agility and acceleration and his ability to juke out so many different players is the reason why he ran at 4.7 yards a clip last season, and why he’s never ran below 4.5 a run for in a season in his career. Injuries have been an issue for Cook, as he has never played a full 16 (now 17) game season in his five year career. His 1,557 rushing yards and 16 TD, his 1,918 yards of scrimmage and 19 scrimmage touchdowns did drop significantly in 2021, but that was mainly due to Minnesota’s coaching, who emphasized Justin Jefferson and the pass game more in 2021 than 2020. He also played one less game. Cook is a force. He is one of the more talented runners in the league, and has such a bright future still ahead of him!
Awards: Pro Bowl
2022 projection: 230 car, 1,219 rushing yards, 7 TD, 26 rec, 187 yds, 0 TD
4. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers, 99 car, 242 rushing yards, 1 TD, 1 rec TD
I am done with all of the Christian McCaffrey hype. I am absolutely done! Because after being a clear cut top two running back in the league in 2019, we’ve seen him play just ten games over the past two seasons at 4.2 yards per carry. But at the same time, the last time we saw him fully healthy, he was definitely one of the best players in the game. In 2020, he was on pace for 1,200 rushing yards, but then in 2021, he was on pace for 884 rushing yards. So we don’t know. He has the talent, but the durability just isn’t there. I don’t want to put his running back ranking just based on the past two seasons when he hasn’t even played 1/3 of possible games. When healthy he’s a beast. He had over 1,300 yards rushing and over 1,000 receiving yards in 2019, which clearly meant he led the NFL in touches and yards of scrimmage, and scrimmage touchdowns. He finished 3rd in offensive player of the year voting in that season. SO while the talent is there, I need to see him consistently stay on the field before I can truly rank him ahead of this trio of superstar running backs!
Awards: Pro Bowl (if he stays healthy)
2022 projection: 270 car, 1,188 rushing yards, 9 TD, 137 tgt, 92 rec, 589 yds
3. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts, 332 car, 1,811 rushing yards, 18 TD, 40 rec, 360 y
Jonathan Taylor just put on a master class of a season. He won the triple crown for a running back (carries, yards, touchdowns) and finished 2nd in offensive player of the year voting. He also had 360 yards receiving with an astounding nine yards per completion. This gave him the crown for yards of scrimmage and scrimmage touchdowns. Taylor also was the key reason why Indianapolis was a playoff contender. He was one of the leaders in Pro Football Reference’s advanced stat to showcase the value a player brings to a team. Taylor is a beast. So why isn’t he in the top two? Well, I have to take into account the fact that he wasn’t on pace to be the leader in all of these categories if a superstar running back above him in this list didn’t get hurt. And I also look at overall skillset. I think the two players above him are overall better running backs. But there is no denying the greatness of Jonathan Taylor!
Awards: Pro Bowl, All Pro 2nd team
2022 projection: 317 car, 1,648 rushing yards, 14 TD, 47 rec, 409 yds
2. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns, 228 car, 1,259 rushing yards, 8 TD, 20 rec, 147 yds
This dude is a monster! The numbers will show a great overall running back, but they won’t show he’s ahead of the 1,800+ yard rusher. His 228 carries gave him just under 1,260 rushing yards which is very good, but not on the same level as the top three guys. Why is here? Because of his dominance! Because if he played all 17 games instead of just 14, he would’ve had 1,529 rushing yards, putting him right near the rest. The fact that he is so fast, quick and athletic but is also a beast who can truck you over at any second seems impossible. He is on a trajectory that will earn him a Pro Football Hall of Fame spot. The Browns are lucky to have him and his overall dominance that won’t stop for a very long time if he doesn’t struggle with injury, but he’s not quite at the level of this clear cut, best running back in the NFL!
Awards: Pro Bowl
2022 projection: 264 car, 1,425 rushing yards, 13 TD, 34 rec, 255 yds, 2 TD
1. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans, 219 car, 937 rushing yards, 10 TD, 18 rec, 154 yds
You guys knew who I was going to put #1. And for those of you casual fans that say those stats aren’t even close to the other players, that was in 8 games, before he went out for the season with an injury. He won the running back triple crown in 2019, then went on to dismantle New England and Baltimore in the playoffs. The in 2020, he won the triple crown again but with over 2,000 rushing yards, becoming the 8th player to ever do this! Then in 2021, he played just eight games and nearly rushed for 1,000 yards. He was 9th in the NFL in rushing yards in those games. And if he played 17 games, he was on pace for 1,990 rushing yards, just shy of 2,000 for the 2nd straight season! He was also on pace for 21 rushing touchdowns, which would be a higher amount than anyone has in total rushing and receiving touchdowns! The crazy thing is he got the ball a lot! Like, a lot! He had 219 carries in those eight games, and was on pace for 465 carries over a 17 game season. That would have led the NFL all time! The dude is beast. He’s strong, he can juke, he’s elusive, he can cut. He can do it all! He is, and will be, the #1 running back in the NFL!
Awards: Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro, gets votes for offensive player of the year!
2022 projection: 359 car, 1,866 rushing yards, 17 TD, 24 rec, 216 yds, 2 TD
My top ten running backs prediction for the end of next season:
Derrick Henry
Jonathan Taylor
Nick Chubb
Elijah Mitchell
Najee Harris
Dalvin Cook
Alvin Kamara
Joe Mixon
Aaron Jones
Austin Ekeler/JK Dobbins/Christian McCaffrey
That is a wrap for the top ten running backs in the NFL currently. I know I got some of you mad but I hope you all enjoyed. Stay tuned for the next article about the top ten quarterbacks, in the NFL!
Chase Coburn
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