Who Leads The NFL In Rushing Yards 2021?

The NFL season is well underway and fans are wondering who leads the league in rushing yards. As of right now, the answer may surprise you.

NFL Leaders in Rushing Yards

As of right now, the 2021 NFL leader in rushing yards is Aaron Jones of the Green Bay Packers. He has 1,104 yards on the season. This is 28 more yards than the second place holder, Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans.

Lamar Jackson

As of right now, Lamar Jackson is leading the NFL in rushing yards with 1,005. He is followed by Dalvin Cook with 954 yards, Derrick Henry with 858, Josh Jacobs with 854, and Corey Clement with 842.

Derrick Henry

In 2020, Derrick Henry led the NFL in rushing yards with 2,027. He also led the league in rushing touchdowns with 17. Henry has been one of the most consistent running backs in the NFL over the past few years and is a big reason why the Titans have been so successful.

Other running backs that had a great 2020 season include Dalvin Cook (1,541 yards and 16 touchdowns), Josh Jacobs (1,316 yards and 11 touchdowns), and Alvin Kamara (1,265 yards and 18 touchdowns). All three of these players will be looking to build on their success in 2021 and help their teams get to the playoffs.

Dalvin Cook

Dalvin Cook leads the NFL in rushing yards for the 2021 season. The Minnesota Vikings running back has rushed for 1,557 yards and 17 touchdowns so far this season. Cook is on pace to break the single-season rushing record, which is currently held by former Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.

NFL Leaders in Rushing Touchdowns

As the 2021 NFL season comes to a close, we take a look at the leaders in rushing touchdowns. Topping the list is Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings with 16 rushing touchdowns.

Derrick Henry

As of March 2021, Derrick Henry leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 17. He is closely followed by Dalvin Cook with 16, and Josh Jacobs with 15. These three players are the only ones in the NFL to have rushed for more than 10 touchdowns so far this season.

Dalvin Cook

With 15 rushing touchdowns, Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook leads the NFL in this category for the 2021 season. While some may be surprised that Cook holds this distinction, he has been one of the league’s most consistent and productive running backs over the past few years. In fact, Cook has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his three NFL seasons, and he is on pace to do so again in 2021. Given his production and durability, it is no surprise that he is one of the league’s leading touchdown scorers.

Josh Jacobs

Josh Jacobs (born January 20, 1998) is an American football running back for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama. Jacobs was selected by the Raiders in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Jacobs was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.

Jacobs was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He attended McLain High School in Tulsa, where he played high school football. Jacobs committed to play college football at the University of Alabama over offers from Auburn University, Ohio State University, and Oklahoma State University, among others.

At Alabama, Jacobs played in 12 games as a true freshman in 2016 and rushed for 564 yards on 86 carries with four rushing touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2017, he appeared in 13 games and had 11 rushing touchdowns along with 728 rushing yards on auxiliary 124 carries. In his junior season in 2018, Jacobs started all 15 games for Alabama and had 640 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns as well as 20 receptions for 247 yards and three touchdown receptions; he helped lead Alabama to an appearance in the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. After his junior season, he decided to forgo his senior season and declare himself eligible for the 2019 NFL Draft.

NFL Leaders in Rushing Average

As of right now, the leading NFL rusher is Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott. He has run for 1,074 yards on 231 attempts and has an impressive average of 4.7 yards per carry. Other notable names near the top of the list include Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb, and Alvin Kamara.

Derrick Henry

Derrick Henry is an American football running back for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and was drafted in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Titans. In December 2020, he was named the NFL rushing yards leader for the 2020 season.

Dalvin Cook

Dalvin Cook is an American football running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Vikings in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
In Cook’s rookie season, he rushed for 354 yards and two touchdowns. In his second season, he was limited to just four games due to injury, but still managed to finish second on the team in rushing with 333 yards and two touchdowns. In 2019, Cook had his best season yet, rushing for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns while also catching 53 passes for 519 yards and another score. He was named a Pro Bowl starter and was named a Second Team All-Pro.
In 2020, Cook missed four games due to injury but still managed to rush for 969 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also caught 44 passes for 363 yards and another touchdown.

Josh Jacobs

Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders has the highest rushing average in the NFL at 5.6 yards per carry. He is followed by Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans at 5.4 yards per carry.