Running backs, despite their value in recent years being called into question, have been one of the most important positions historically. There have been a little over 2,000 running backs drafted into the NFL in the Super Bowl era. For this video, I’ve scoured decades of data going round by round to find the greatest and most accomplished running backs this league has ever seen.
This will come as no surprise, but most of the all-time greats were drafted in round one. To get an idea of the success differences by round, I went and found the exact number of running backs drafted in each round from 1967 to 2019 and noted how many rushed for at least 5,000 yards in their career.
5,000 was an easy number that at least indicates a player was good and healthy enough to put together multiple solid seasons as a team’s primary or secondary running back. It doesn’t mean a player was amazing, but it’s enough to show that a back was serviceable for more than half a decade.
32% of first-round running backs rushed for at least 5,000 yards in their career, meaning the majority either were busts or got injured early in their careers. Now to take it a step further, 10,000 rushing yards is a feat that very few reach.
Let me quickly add a side note here: the average NFL running back’s career is short, under 2.6 years. The physical demands and high injury risks are a hill that most backs won’t be able to get over, and for those who do, all it takes is for a player to lose a step in their game, and now they are a backup or out of the league entirely.
In 2019, Zeke Elliott, at the age of 24, was no doubt one of the best backs in the NFL. However, three years later, at age 27, no one considered him a great back, honestly, not even the best back on the Cowboys. His yards per carry had decreased dramatically. He’s not even 29, and he’s been a shell of himself for a few years now and served as a rotational back last year in New England.
I’m not trying to pick on Zeke; this happens all the time. Remember Philip Lindsay? He had two surprise breakout seasons in 2018 and 2019. By 2021, he was a backup, and by 2023, he was in the XFL.
I use these examples to illustrate how impressive the 10,000-yard feat really is. It displays both longevity, which is already rare in the NFL, and the remarkable ability to be, at the very least, an above-average starter for around a decade or more. In other words, it’s no fluke. A player doesn’t make it here by accident. It’s not necessarily a mark worthy of the Hall of Fame, but it’s getting pretty damn close.
Just under 12% of first-round running backs rushed for 10,000-plus yards in their career. Despite only 11.7% reaching that mark, virtually every historical big-name running back was picked in the first round. Of the 19 Hall of Fame running backs drafted in the Super Bowl era, 16 were drafted in the first round, 14 of which were top-10 picks.
However, despite this historical dominance, the effects of first-rounders are much lower in today’s game. Christian McCaffrey is a total stud and is currently the best back in football, but in 2023, only one of the other top 10 NFL rushers was drafted in the first round—Najee Harris.
First-round running backs are much less prevalent statistically today compared to 20 years prior when six of the top 10 rushers were first-rounders. The game and the way running backs are utilized have certainly changed.
Anyways, when deciding who’s the greatest first-round running back ever, there are a few different ways of examining this debate. Here’s how I lay it out:
The most dominant pre-Super Bowl era back is Jim Brown. Considering he won MVP as a rookie and was the best back and most likely player in the league every year he played, no one has dominated at the level Jim Brown did.
The best Super Bowl era running back is a toss-up between Walter Payton and Barry Sanders. Although my vote would be for Barry to pay respect to Walter. As Ray Lewis put it, “Once you put wisdom and will on top of talent, you get what you call Sweetness—an elite blend of speed and power.”
Walter Payton played at an elite level well into his 30s. And for Barry, besides his superior all-time numbers, Barry stands in a class of his own in terms of ability to cut, change direction, accelerate, and juke defenders. His highlight reel is the best of all time, in my opinion.
The greatest running back longevity has to go to Emmitt Smith. This dude was a starting-level running back for 15 years. Nobody argues that he was as talented or dominant as the previous guys, but the durability of this man was remarkable, and it’s why he’s the all-time leading rusher.
For the era I witnessed, LaDainian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson take the cake. LT had a massive influence on how modern running backs are utilized today, considering his effect on not just the run game but the pass game as well. He holds the all-time record for rushing touchdowns in a season.
And of course, Adrian Peterson was a freight train in his prime. This man put the fear of God into his opponents, and nobody has had more impressive resiliency from injury. When you look at what Peterson accomplished after suffering major injuries in the NFL, it’s simply astonishing.
As expected, the talent and production level diminish significantly once we reach the second round. 15.33% of second-rounders compared to the 32% of first rounders reached 5,000 yards rushing in their career, and just five of those 176 backs drafted in round two are in the 10,000 Club. The most notable second-rounders in the NFL today include the top two being Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb.
And then there’s another class of solid guys including Jonathan Taylor, Miles Sanders, and Joe Mixon. Historically, the five names that have eclipsed 10,000 yards are Tiki Barber, Ricky Watters, LeSean McCoy, Corey Dillon, and the most statistically dominant and only second-round Hall of Fame running back as of now, Thurman Thomas.
First down on that call delay for Thomas, oh, looking him spin through all the way to the 25, as one of the emotional leaders during the Bills’ run to four Super Bowls, his ability to be a great rusher as well as an effective pass catcher in their no-huddle attack led Thomas to some hugely successful seasons and playoff runs, which included him winning the regular season MVP in 1991.
As for today, Derrick Henry is still playing and is worthy of being considered the greatest second-round running back of all time. After serving as a rotational back for a few years in Tennessee, Henry, at his relatively massive size, exploded onto the scene in 2018 and by 2020 was the best back in football. He may have not won MVP, but he became one of just eight dudes to reach the illustrious.
