Best running backs

There's plenty of talent in this group, including some breakout stars from last season and some players looking to shine even brighter in different roles or a new school. And we have a pair of best running backs that make up a formidable duo in what should be a powerhouse backfield. We polled our resident college football experts, asking them to rank their top 10 running backs entering the season.

Before we go, though, I am once again tackling the mountainous task of ranking every running back who started a game in the '23 season. Here is my pecking order, 1 to McCaffrey was the best running back in the league from start to finish, beginning the campaign with a season-high rush yards and a touchdown in a Week 1 romp and ending it as the only non-quarterback on the MVP finalist list. McCaffrey led the league in rushing yards, touches, scrimmage yards and scrimmage touchdowns. He made it easy to rank him No. The Rams shipped Cam Akers to Minnesota early in the season, putting all their eggs in Williams' basket.

Best running backs

Soon-to-be free agent Derrick Henry is climbing up the list for the most rushing yards in NFL history. But the big, bruising Tennessee Titans running back is only 36th all-time, despite being the active leader in career yards with 9, That displays how much the NFL has changed in the last decade and how much running backs used to dominate the sport. Starting his career with the Indianapolis Colts as a No. It marked the first of three consecutive Offensive Player of the Year awards for Faulk, who excelled with the high-scoring St. The Tyler Rose was brutal between the lines, overpowering opponents and becoming must-watch TV as soon as the ball touched his hands. While injuries limited his dominance, it's impossible to forget how powerful Campbell was at his peak. Peterson came nine yards away from setting the NFL single season record for rushing yards during an era when passing quarterbacks were taking over the sport. That's how impressive AP was, who could run all day and spent the end of his career bouncing around the league because he wanted to keep running more. He's a surefire future Hall of Famer who will always be associated with Minnesota Vikings. But there's a reason that Barry Sanders was often compared to Sayers, who could blow by defenses and leave opponents grasping at air. Sayers totalled 1, rushing and receiving yards as a rookie with the Chicago Bears in , adding 20 touchdowns as he leapt into the NFL spotlight. Even more impressive was Sayers' The only thing that held back Tomlinson's legacy was the San Diego Chargers' shortcomings in the playoffs.

Foreman was solid as a midseason starter, with five total TDs in a best running backs of five games. Kareem Hunt. Regardless, running backs remain important — and the position is actually quite deep.

The running back position has changed a great deal over the past few decades. There were NFL teams that built their identities around one workhorse back running into the middle of an offensive line over and over. There were many that deployed fullbacks as essential cogs of their offense. A steady four-yard average per play was rarely a bad thing; the goal was moving the chains. The modern NFL values versatility and explosion to a very different degree. Running backs are now evaluated for their receiving ability to nearly the same degree as their running skills. We also know or think we know that blocking has a great deal more to do with an effective running game than the back himself does — which has led to teams allocating more resources elsewhere on the offense.

Man, what a rough week for NFL backfields with a number of players who were performing at a career-best pace suffering injuries. Atlanta's Cordarrelle Patterson and Denver's Javonte Williams are top of mind, with both being regulars in my running back rankings through the first quarter of the season. Patterson will spend at least the next four weeks on injured reserve after injuring his knee prior to Sunday's win over Cleveland. Patterson did play in the game, finishing with 38 yards and a TD on nine carries, but his injury opens the door for young running backs Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley. Williams emerged as the team's RB1 in after splitting carries with Melvin Gordon in his rookie season.

Best running backs

We are on the brink of wrapping up the fifth season of the RB Index, but I'm about to enter some new territory. I've decided to rank every running back who started a game in the NFL season. Here is my pecking order, 1 to McCaffrey was everything and then some for the 49ers after arriving in mid-October via trade. With 1, scrimmage yards in 11 games for San Francisco -- he had nearly 1, on the season -- McCaffrey's abilities were on display weekly in Kyle Shanahan's offense. When talented running backs come into the league, I always hope that they get the opportunity to display their greatness and reach their potential; McCaffrey in San Francisco is a home run. He was hands down the best overall back in the NFL this year. A do-it-all playmaker for the Chargers, Ekeler's campaign was one for the ages. His receptions set a franchise single-season record , and he became the fifth player in the Super Bowl era to have at least rushing yards, 10 rushing TDs, receiving yards and five receiving TDs in a single season, according to NFL Research. The unique skill sets of McCaffrey and Ekeler -- the fact that they are constantly producing in both the run and pass games for their respective offenses -- is why they sit at Nos.

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He was used more extensively as a pass-catcher in , with 21 catches for yards and one touchdown. Copa Maradona. Coupe de France. Gordon dashed off eight yard games over his next nine, including a two-week stretch in October when he ran for yards and six touchdowns in games against West Virginia and Cincinnati. With Drake Maye gone and an open quarterback competition set to begin this spring, Hampton is the most known commodity on the North Carolina offense. Full draft prospect analysis from NFL. The Syracuse product and No. Brasil A. Brisbane Broncos. Pittsburgh Pirates. ESPN has him listed as the eighth best running back in the draft class. Najee Harris.

His rankings are primarily based on this season's efforts.

Najee Harris. Atlanta Hawks. He regularly bounced runs wide and beat the pursuit around the corner, so a move to a stretch-based running attack would be a natural fit, allowing his speed to shine. AJ Dillon. The interesting part is that he joins Henderson, one spot higher in our rankings, to form the nation's most accomplished backfield tandem. Mark Schlereth. Jordan Shusterman. One year after nearly reaching the 1,yard mark in Carolina, Foreman saw his production unsurprisingly drop in Chicago. Irish Sun. Jamie Little. Euro Cup. Kaitlyn Vincie. Javonte Williams. With just two yard rushing games, Ford was a reliable player but should return to his backup role in