Running Back Rankings: The 32 best RBs entering the 2021 NFL season
By Sam Monson
Jul 28, 2021
The bulk of the 2021 NFL offseason is now in the books, closing the door on the greatest opportunity for NFL teams to overhaul their rosters. Free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft have seen some major players change teams or enter the NFL, so let’s look at the league-wide situation when it comes to running backs.
We know backs are largely a product of their environment, but that doesn’t mean they are just interchangeable — there are very real gradations to the running back position throughout the NFL.
Here are the best 32 backs as we look ahead to the 2021 NFL season.
1. DERRICK HENRY, TENNESSEE TITANS
We debate how much running backs can truly outperform their environment, but nobody has done that more than Henry over the past two seasons. Henry has 2,758 yards after contact since the start of the 2019 season, almost 1,000 more than any other back in that span.
2. DALVIN COOK, MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Cook is the closest thing to Henry in terms of a running back outperforming expectations in the NFL. The Vikings back has earned a PFF rushing grade of 90.9 over the last two seasons, second only to Henry, but the Vikings’ offensive line has ranked 15th league-wide in PFF run-blocking grade over that same stretch. Cook is also a big-play waiting to happen — he has ripped off carries of at least 70 yards in each of the last three seasons.
3. CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY, CAROLINA PANTHERS
Arguably the most complete back in the league, McCaffrey also showed the problems with the position in today’s NFL when Carolina’s offense actually proved to be a tick more efficient when he was out of the lineup. McCaffrey has seen 388 targets in his NFL career, and he has dropped just nine of them.
4. NICK CHUBB, CLEVELAND BROWNS
There may be no better pure ball carrier in the NFL than Nick Chubb, and only a relative lack of impact in the passing game keeps him as low as No. 4 overall. The Georgia product has the best broken tackle rate in the NFL over the last two seasons, with 124 broken tackles on 488 carries.
5. ALVIN KAMARA, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Like McCaffrey, Kamara is an all-around weapon on offense for the New Orleans Saints, as he has seen 100 targets and hauled in 80 catches in every season of his career. The Saints back has averaged over 2.0 yards per route run in his NFL career.
6. AARON JONES, GREEN BAY PACKERS
Jones has never had a bad year in the NFL, with four straight seasons earning a PFF grade of at least 75.6 overall and 79.6 as a rusher. He has averaged at least 3.0 yards after contact per carry in each of the last two seasons.
7. SAQUON BARKLEY, NEW YORK GIANTS
One of the most talented backs in the league, Saquon Barkley embodies the cautionary tale of the position, with both injury and environment combining to limit his effectiveness so far at the pro level. Barkley showed what he was capable of as a rookie, but that is his only season that generated a PFF grade above 80.0.
Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson (32) carries the ball during the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
8. CHRIS CARSON, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
A throwback-style runner who plays, fittingly, in an offense with some throwback tendencies, Chris Carson is one of the hardest-running ball carriers in football. He has broken 136 tackles and averaged over 3.0 yards after contact per carry over the last three seasons.
9. JOSH JACOBS, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Over the past two seasons, only Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb have broken more tackles on the ground than Josh Jacobs, who has been the best first-round pick the Raiders have had in a number of years.
10. KAREEM HUNT, CLEVELAND BROWNS
The Browns picking Hunt up for peanuts, given his off-field transgressions, has meant the team can field two top-10-caliber running backs simultaneously. Hunt may not be quite as good as Chubb as a ball-carrier, but he is a superior receiver and has broken 33 tackles on receptions since the start of 2019.
11. AUSTIN EKELER, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
The highest PFF receiving grade over the last two seasons belongs not to Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, or any other big-name superstar but to Austin Ekeler, whose 93.6 grade is streets ahead of the competition. Ekeler also has the most receiving touchdowns and explosive plays in that time.
https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-running-back-rankings-the-32-best-rbs-entering-the-2021-nfl-season
