Simpson (1973), Payton (1977), Earl Campbell (1979), Allen (1985), Thurman Thomas (1991), Smith (1993), Sanders (1997, co-MVP with Brett Favre), Terrell Davis (1998), Faulk (2000), Alexander (2005), Tomlinson (2006) and most recently Peterson (2012). It's no coincidence that teams with dominant running games and average quarterbacks can win championships. Sanders scored 'only' 11 touchdowns on the ground, mainly because the Lions used fullback Tommy Vardell in goal-line situations. Murray also didn't run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Cam Newton is the only quarterback in this list. A team needs to be able to trust its running back to hold onto the football at all costs. TeamRankings.com is not affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or March Madness Athletic Association, neither of which has supplied, reviewed, approved or endorsed the material on this site. Griese threw seven passes in one Super Bowl--and the Dolphins won 24-7! His 26 touchdowns broke Emmitt Smith's five-year NFL record and would stand as the record for three seasons. . Other running backs to win MVP include Paul Hornung (1961), Jim Taylor (1962), Larry Brown (1972), O.J. At the 2018 NFL Combine, though, Chubb ran just a 4.52-second 40-yard dash. Shows quickness and instincts. NFL stats Before the NFL became a passing league, football was ruled by premier running backs. When asked about it in 2019, he said that a few years earlier he'd run a 4.30 and was faster now. Dickerson holds the single-season record with 2,105 yards in 1984. Heres a look at the winners and losers from the first 31 picks of the draft: How do I pick which schools to send my Go Big profile to? Only one running back (Tommy Wilson) scored half as many touchdowns as Brown. George had surpassed Campbell in the team record book during 2002 to become the franchise's all-time leading rusher. Faulk earned National Football League Most Valuable Player honors, the second of three straight seasons that the MVP award would go to a member of the St. Louis Rams' Greatest Show on Turf (Faulk finished second to teammate Kurt Warner in the 1999 and 2001 MVP voting). Sanders was known for his uncanny ability to make defenders stop in their tracks with his jukes and moves. NFL Running Backs His 1,773 rushing yards in 1995 are 25th all-time for a rusher in a season. fastest player in the NFL Brown won the rushing Triple Crown in 1958, leading in carries (257), yards (1527), and touchdowns (17). * Last 2 Weeks qualifier is Jonathan Taylor, Colts (5-10, 226 pounds) Taylor has parlayed his prolific play at Wisconsin into the complete durable package in the NFL. Smith WebFree NFL football player stats and stats leaders in simple, easy to read tables. * Pro Football Hall of Fame Member Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. His 21 rushing touchdowns are more than all but five players in the history of the NFL. In 1997, Barry Sanders averaged more yards per carry than any running back since Jim Brown in 1963. Jim Brown earned the honor in 1957, 1958 and 1965 and is the only multi-time MVP among running backs. * Last 4 Weeks qualifier is He led in yards per carry (5.5) and yards from scrimmage (2244). According to MileSplit's convertor, that translates into a 4.19-second 40-yard dash, although we can't say whether Hayes would've accelerated and maintained speed in the same proportion as to how he did in the 100-meter dash if he ran a 40-yard dash. (You know: Give it to Marshawn.). The most easy thing to do is cite 40-yard dash times, but that's also not simulating a football game played in pads with defenders attempting to tackle the ball carrier. Bolt's only problem would've been his long strides - he doesn't pick up full speed until the second half of his 100-meter races, by which point his 40-yard dash would've already been over. Feathers played for arguably the greatest team in NFL history--a team better than the 1972 Miami Dolphins. While running has always been an integral part of the game, footballs evolution makes it difficult to compare players from different eras. Who is the best NFL running back in history? Has to have demonstrated RB ability multiple years at an All-State or All District Level. Two other players are future first-ballot Hall of Famers. Here are the 10 fastest ball-carrier runs from the 2021 NFL playoffs (via NFL's Next Gen Stats): None of the fastest times from the 2021 NFL playoffs entering the Super Bowl make the top-10 for the entire season. Cowboys Pro Bowl running back Tony Pollard, who led the NFL in scrimmage yards per touch (5.9) in 2022 among players with at least 200 touches and is coming off a The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. Discover Next Gen Stats News, Charts, and Statistics. No. One of the best all-around running backs in the NFL, McCaffrey ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at the 2017 NFL Combine. Simpson set the NFL single-season record by scoring 23 touchdowns. Like Chubb, he's put together speedy long runs despite a relatively pedestrian 40 time of 4.51 seconds at the NFL Combine in 2017. What are the pricing options for Go Big Premium? Goldberg rushed for 1,957 yards during his career Pitt. His 5.2 yards per carry finished second among players with at least 200 carries. Davis is the only running back on this list to play for a Super Bowl champion. . Diehard football fans know of the 1934 NFL championship as the "Sneaker Game," in which the Giants, who were losing 10-3 at halftime, switched from cleats to sneakers to account for the mud on the field. No other running back carried the ball more than 15 times per game in 1958. (At the Start of 2003 Season). Only Barry Sanders and OJ Simpson have averaged six yards per carry. Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai said he underwent surgery to repair a torn shoulder labrum in February but he is expected to be back before the team starts training camp. After 12 games, OJ had rushed for 1584 yards. His 14 total touchdowns were still good for third in the NFL. Sanders also set a new NFL record with 2358 total yards from scrimmage, which has been surpassed three times. Had Simpson had the luxury of a 16-game season, he would have easily rushed for over 2000 yards and scored over 25 touchdowns. Two other active runners also rank among the career leaders in rushing yards. * Away/Neutral Games qualifier is At the 2019 NFL Combine, Hardman ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash, coming it 0.04 seconds behind Hill's reported pro day time. * Home Games qualifier is Those werent the only headliners from the first round, either. Faulk is also No. * All Games qualifier is Alaina Getzenberg reports on the Bills' decision to sign running back Latavius Murray. No, because he consistently put his team in position to score. The current record was set in 2006 when Tomlinson piled up 28 rushing scores. Undrafted NFL Free Agents 2023: Latest Details on the Biggest He rushed for 1,060 yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games last season. Running Backs . Sanders' 6.1 yards per carry was more than one and a half times better than the rest of the league. One of them was fought for tooth and nail by our Chief Written Content Officer Ryan Gosling (not that one) to be in the top three. In all, eight players have surpassed 2,000 rushing yards in one season. Stats on pace for at least In fact, Eric Dickerson's single-season record of 2105 yards might belong to OJ Simpson. With his stats known for certain, he could easily be the best running back Michigan has seen. In the 2018 NFL Combine, Barkley ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash. Was Bob Griese a great quarterback? . Left and right arrows move across top level links and expand / close menus in sub levels. . ..- . Brown also set NFL records in rushing yards (1863) and rushing yards per game (133.1). Runs with both power, speed and balance and can pull away from second level defenders. He finished third in yards per carry and rushing yards per game. Simpson led the NFL in every single statistic that a running back could lead the league in. WebFBS Power 5 Running Back Physical Measurables: Height: 6'0" Weight: 210 lbs. But there've still been some very fast run speeds, with Mecole Hardman and Tyreek Hill at the top being no surprise. Tomlinson earned every award in existence after the 2006 season, including the NFL Most Valuable Player award, Offensive Player of the Year honors, the Bert Bell Player of the Year award, and the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. While giving himself a head start, the Bengals star wide receiver won the race, proving that man can be faster than beast with a predetermined advantage. Bo Jackson, someone who hasnt even been mentioned yet, was perhaps the most unique athlete to ever step on a football field. Webv. Only one running back (Alan Ameche) averaged half as many yards per game as Brown. It's sort of irrelevant who the fastest player in the NFL is in a vacuum - teams are ideally looking for the players who have the most effective speed, mixing raw running velocity with the talent to let that speed play. He finished second in yards per carry (5.4). Guys like Tyreek Hill, Raheem Mostert and even Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray display more apparent on-field speed than maybe anyone in NFL history. That's over two fumbles per game! Receiving is an integral aspect of the position, especially in the modern NFL. Chris Perry. His 186 points scored set a new NFL record, breaking Paul Hornung's 46-year-old record of 176 points. The Buccaneers are signing Syracuse running back Sean Tucker, according to SiriusXM NFL Radio's Adam Caplan. NFL * Vs. TR Top 10 qualifier is Feathers helped the Bears score an NFL-record 286 points, which was more than the five worst NFL teams combined. There's no messing around. Absolutely not. , . As a sophomore, he had 14 rushing touchdowns and set school records with 1,676 rushing yards, 2,093 total all-purpose yards, and 190.3 more Birthplace: Eaton, Colorado Team: Los Angeles Chargers Position: Running back More Austin Ekeler The Best Austin Ekeler Fantasy Names #10 of 74 on Who Is The Best Running Back In The NFL No coach wants to gamble with odds like that. WebView running back stats for the 2022 NFL season. It makes sense that Goodwin is fast - he's one of the best athletes in the NFL and competed in the 2012 Olympics for the United States as a long jumper. This list includes all running backs with at least 75. Following a trade with the Arizona Cardinals, the Detroit Lions selected University of Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs at Who is the best NFL running back in history? - NBC Sports Bay Area Mahomes has incorporated running as a part of his game, but usually as more of a passer who scrambles while still looking to throw. His 129.8 yards per game have been surpassed by just two running backs since, and stand as the fifth highest total in NFL history. Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. Here are the 22 running backs that own gold jackets listed by the year they were enshrined in Canton, Ohio: Ultimately, this question cannot be answered by numbers. 253 carries, 1359 yards, 18 TD, 5.4 avg; 81 rec, 830 yards, 8 TD; 0 fum. NFL Draft 2023 Round 2-3 pick-by-pick results: Relive the night Emmitt Smith is the all-time leader with 164. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry and scored 14 touchdowns. Metcalf ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in 2019. Chubb has yet to break into the charts above, but he had a few of the fastest runs of the 2019 season. 109. 6) Emmitt Smith. Good acceleration, balance and effort. No. That honor belongs to middle linebacker Dick Butkus. Taylor won the rushing Triple Crown in 1962. Brown was the first true workhorse in the NFL. It ultimately comes down to personal preference for what attributes you want out of a running back, but you cant go wrong with any of those guys in the backfield. Printed from TeamRankings.com - 2005-2023 Team Rankings, LLC. His 392 carries are the seventh highest single-season total in NFL history. NFL 20 rush attempts 10 GAMES. Should Barry Sanders be penalized for his lack of touchdowns? Brown averaged 21 carries per game. Has to have demonstrated RB ability multiple years at an All-Conference level. Chris Perry is one of the first running backs that come to mind when I think of Michigan running backs His 22 touchdowns broke the single-season record of 20 set by Lenny Moore in 1964. NFL 100 All-Time Team running backs revealed NFL Running Backs of All Time 1 among full-time running backs with 36 receiving touchdowns. He's regarded as one of the fastest players in the NFL. That was second only to Robert Griffin III in that year's class, and it was faster than the year prior's No. Jim Brown shined in the early years of the NFL before handing the torch off to stars like Gale Sayers and the late Franco Harris. And just like the 2007 New England Patriots, the Bears ran the table in the regular season--13 games, 13 wins--before losing to (who else?) ACTIVE IN 2002 Jackson didn't run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, but at a "speed day" put on by Louisville in 2017, he reportedly ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash. In a December game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sayers scored an electrifying six touchdowns to tie a single-game NFL record. Latest on Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN