Who is the Best Running Back in the NFL?

It’s a debate that’s raged on for years – who is the best running back in the NFL? We take a look at the top contenders and make our case for who we think is #1.

Introduction

In the National Football League (NFL), a running back is a member of the offensive backfield. A running back’s main job is to carry the football from the quarterback’s hand or hand-off and attempt to advance it up the field for a first down or touchdown. Running backs are also often used as receivers, especially on screen plays, swing routes, and dump-offs.

Le’Veon Bell

Le’Veon Bell is widely considered one of the best running backs in the NFL. He has played for the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2013. In that time, he has been selected to four Pro Bowls and been named a first-team All-Pro twice. He is also a two-time NFL rushing yards leader.

Ezekiel Elliott

Ezekiel Elliott is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State, where he earned second-team All-America honors in 2015. He was drafted by the Cowboys fourth overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.

In his first NFL season, he led the league in rushing yards and was invited to the Pro Bowl. He helped the Cowboys to an NFC-best 13–3 record and was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. In 2017, he became the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 800 yards in his team’s first seven games of a season as well as becoming only the sixth player to have consecutive 1,000 yard rushing seasons to start his career.

Alvin Kamara

Alvin Kamara is one of the best running backs in the NFL. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee.

Kamara is a versatile back who can run between the tackles or catch passes out of the backfield. He is a dangerous threat in the open field and is one of the best running backs in the NFL.

Kamara has rushed for 2,408 yards and 28 touchdowns in his career. He has also caught 200 passes for 1,688 yards and 11 touchdowns. Kamara is a two-time Pro Bowl selection and was named First-Team All-Pro in 2017.

Saquon Barkley

Saquon Barkley is a professional American football player who plays running back for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State University, and was drafted by the Giants second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft

Conclusion

At the end of the day, there is no one “best” running back in the NFL. This is a position that is often reliant on the specific scheme that a team runs and the personnel that they have around the running back. That being said, there are certainly some backs that stand out above the rest and have been consistently great over the past few years. Players like Le’Veon Bell, Ezekiel Elliott, and Todd Gurley have all been at the top of the league in terms of production and will likely continue to be among the best in the NFL for years to come.