NFL's Greatest Running Backs: Ranking Today's 10 Best vs. 10 All-Time Studs
Comparing running backs from several different decades is a lot like comparing apples to orange.
The style of play and type of players in today’s NFL is drastically different from the 1970s. Offenses don’t rely on one workhouse like they used to, but running backs today, and even in the 90s, face bigger, faster, and stronger defenses every week.
So any list that anyone puts together is sure to “forget” someone because there isn’t a strict formula to adhere to. There’s only opinions that are based on evidence.
The all-time greats will be based primarily on statistics, and what I’ve seen or heard about these guys. I was born in the late 80s, so I can’t speak about how awesome Tony Dorsett looked on the field. I just don’t know.
I will evaluate current NFL players on past performance, current performance, and potential.
Here I go: ranking the 10 best running backs of the past as compared to today’s stars.
No. 20: Michael Turner
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Sitting behind LaDainian Tomlinson for four years in San Diego really hurt Turner’s potential to be a superstar in the NFL.
By the time Turner joined Atlanta, he was already 26 years old. A vast majority of running backs start declining around age 30. He has 34 touchdowns and reached 4,000 career rushing yards last week against New Orleans.
I’d guess that Turner could have nearly doubled his career numbers had he left San Diego three years earlier.
No. 19: DeAngelo Williams
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DeAngelo Williams might be a top-five running back in terms of talent, but he has also fallen victim to the two-back system.
He’s topped 4,000 yards on the ground, and has 34 total touchdowns, but Jonathan Stewart has taken about 2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns from him.
No. 18: Frank Gore
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Frank Gore is the same age as Williams, but should finish this season with around 6,500-7,000 career rushing yards and 40 TDs.
He’s done most of it on below-average teams, and after coming back from a career-threatening knee injury.
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No. 17: Ray Rice
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Ray Rice is just 23 years old, and is arguably a top-three running back in the league.
Playing in the AFC North should allow Rice to build a pretty solid resume by the time his career is over, although, he will have a difficult time piling up a ton of touchdowns as long as Willis McGahee is poaching goal-line carries.
No. 16: Steven Jackson
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There’s not many people in the league I feel more sorry for than Steven Jackson.
The Rams were once the class of the NFC, but Jackson has spent most of his time on St. Louis teams that are among the worst in the league.
Injuries have cut a good chunk out of his stats, but he’s 79 yards away from 7,000 career rushing yards, and one touchdown away from his 50th score.
No. 15: Thomas Jones
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Thomas Jones might be the most underappreciated running back in NFL history.
He’s been a workhouse for a bunch of teams during his career, but one that went about his business quietly. From 2005-2009, Thomas topped 1,100 yards in every season and has 66 total touchdowns for his career.
No. 14: O.J. Simpson
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O.J. Simpson is remembered more for his troubles in his personal life than his stellar career.
Simpson—a five-time First-Team All-Pro and an NFL Hall of Famer—topped 11,000 yards, and had 76 career total touchdowns.
No. 13: Maurice Jones-Drew
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At just 25 years old, Maurice Jones-Drew has already had an NFL career that many players can only dream about.
He may look short on the field, but his game has been huge. Jones-Drew has proved to be a threat both running and receiving—he has rushed for more than 4,000 yards and should pass the 2,000-yard receiving mark this season.
Oh yeah, he has 53 career touchdowns, too.
No. 12: Chris Johnson
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It’s incredible to watch the things Chris Johnson can do on the football field.
We all know he topped 2,000 yards rushing last season, but Johnson also had three touchdown runs of 85-plus yards. No player had ever done that in his entire career, but Johnson did it one season.
Johnson already has 30 career touchdowns, and should top 4,500 career rushing yards by season’s end.
No. 11: Earl Campbell
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At 5'11", 244 pounds, Campbell was a one man wrecking crew during his NFL career.
Campbell won a slew of awards, including the AP NFL MVP in 1979 and the Offensive Player of the Year Award three times.
No. 10: Tony Dorsett
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Tony Dorsett has done something that no other player in football history has done.
He won the Heisman Trophy, the Super Bowl, the Collegiate National Championship, has been enshrined in the College Hall of Fame, and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
That’s enough for me.
No. 9: Adrian Peterson
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I don’t quite understand how people can call Chris Johnson the best back in the NFL once they look at Adrian Peterson’s numbers.
The guy has been a fantasy football dream since he came into the league. Peterson registered 40 touchdowns and nearly 4,500 yards during his first three season with the Minnesota Vikings.
At his current pace, he’s on track to be one of the top five backs in league history.
No. 8: Marshall Faulk
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Marshall Faulk is the biggest receiving threat out of the backfield that I can ever remember watching.
He had 100 career rushing touchdowns, but added another 36 through the air for good measure. From 1997-2001, he was the most versatile running back in the NFL, and he set the standard that guys like Jones-Drew strive for.
No. 7: Eric Dickerson
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During his time in the NFL, Dickerson had three seasons with at least 1,800 yards rushing and eight seasons in which he topped 1,000 yards.
The six-time Pro Bowler also topped 2,000 yards from scrimmage in four seasons, three of them with the Los Angeles Rams.
No. 6: LaDainian Tomlinson
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LaDainian Tomlinson is the greatest player I’ve ever seen in person, a truly gifted athlete who just had a nose for making plays.
His career numbers are sick: eight straight seasons with 1,000 yards rushing, more than 4,000 career receiving yards, nearly 13,000 rushing yards, and 154 career touchdowns.
The only current player with a remote shot at catching him is Adrian Peterson.
No. 5: Gale Sayers
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Gale Sayers retired from professional football before my parents even met, but the “Kansas Comet” was ranked 21st on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.
He scored 22 touchdowns during his rookie season in 1965—which is still a record—and he is also tied for the NFL record with six touchdowns in one game.
No. 4: Emmitt Smith
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Tomlinson only trails two players in career touchdowns: Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith.
An eight-time Pro Bowler, Smith had 175 career touchdowns.
I’m pretty sure he won a couple of Super Bowl rings too. Is that right?
No. 3: Barry Sanders
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The thing I always hear about Barry Sanders is that he walked away from the game too soon, or that he would easily have been the greatest running back ever had he played on a better team.
Considering he never rushed for less than 1,100 yards rushing and had 109 total touchdowns, I still feel pretty confident with him at No. 3 on this list.
No. 2: Walter Payton
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The Chicago Bears sure do make a habit of having phenomenal running backs, don’t they?
Nine Pro Bowls,10 1,000-plus yard seasons, nearly 17,000 career rushing yards, and 125 career touchdowns makes Payton the second-best running back in NFL history.
He’s only second because of this guy…
No. 1: Jim Brown
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If Barry Sanders had a short career, then what did Jim Brown have?
In just nine seasons, Brown racked up nearly 15,000 total yards and 126 career touchdowns. His numbers aren’t as good as some of the other guys on this list, but his play on the field was.
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