Top NFL Running Backs of All Time (by statistical categories)

(last updated on January 6, 2026)

Running backs have traditionally been some of the more popular players on NFL teams next to the quarterbacks and, many times, even the very face of their respective franchises. This position does it all on offense as they occasionally run, block, catch passes, and can even throw a pass. 

There have truly been some legends in the backfield, but who are the top 10 running backs in the NFL in history? Our mission in this article is to identify the best players in the running back position according to the regular-season career stats from Pro-Football-Reference and Stathead. How do we measure who the best is? The data is beautiful in the eye of the beholder, so let’s break the leaders down by categories so you can use your judgment.

Most Touchdowns

The ultimate objective in football is to score touchdowns, which is true for a back when the ball is placed in their hands. Here is one that stands out in this category of crossing the goal.

LaDainian Tomlinson is second on the all-time list for rushing TDs, behind only Emmitt Smith. During his time in the backfield of the San Diego Chargers and New York Jets, Tomlinson reached the goal line a whopping 145 times. That is quite productive in the 11 NFL seasons he played.

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Most First Downs

One of the most challenging things for an offense is to reach the line to gain to move the sticks on a rushing attempt, especially in short-yardage situations when everyone in the park knows that the workhorse in the backfield will have his arms around the leather. 

This former Pitt Panther running back was very productive in his Hall of Fame NFL career and was a specialist at getting to the line to gain. Martin, during his league tenure with the New England Patriots and the New York Jets, reached the stick 746 times to earn a new series of downs for his team

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Most Yards Per Run

A dozen runners have had extremely high yards per attempt in limited carries. This does not automatically make them one of the best running backs in the NFL, though. We will limit the search to backs with at least 2,000 carries in our quest to find these rushing studs. With that criterion in mind, here are the NFL leaders in average yards per carry.

This former Oklahoma State Cowboys star toted the rock over 3,000 times for the Detroit Lions as the focal point of their offense from 1989 through 1998 for an average of 5.0 yards per clip! Barry’s graceful style, complete with jukes, spins, and bursts of quickness, left many a defender grasping at air; this helped Sanders become one of only four players in NFL history with 15,000+ rushing yards. Who knows what lofty numbers he could have reached had he not retired in his prime?

Big things were expected when the Juice was drafted as the Buffalo Bills’ top pick in the 1969 NFL Draft after a Heisman-winning season with the USC Trojans. Simpson did not disappoint the Bills and later the San Francisco 49ers faithful while he was on the field. During his 11-year NFL career, O. J. carried the ball over 2,400 times for a 4.7-yard average.

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Most Yards Per Game

Studying what these legendary ball carriers have done over the long haul is a great way to see their productivity. When we look at the runners who were asked to carry a major portion of their respective offenses, those who played in at least 100 NFL games are the minimum for consideration to who has the title for highest yardage averaged per game played.

In addition to owning the single-season rushing record (2,105 yards in 1984), Eric Dickerson owns one of the highest yards per game marks (90.8). During his record-setting 1984 season, Dickerson averaged an astounding 131.6 yards per contest.

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Most Receiving Yards

Being a running back is not just about being a ball carrier; some of the best have other skills that have made them special. How about catching balls and getting the tough yards after the reception?

If you did a poll of knowledgeable football fans and asked who is the greatest receiving running back of all time, Marshall Faulk would likely win the vote. This dual-threat back had 767 career receptions. As the focal point of the Greatest Show on Turf offenses with the St. Louis Rams, Faulk was guaranteed to rush for 1,300 yards and catch 80 balls a year. In 1999, he became the second player ever to eclipse 1,000+ yards both rushing and receiving. This incredible talent got his call to Canton in 2011.

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Best Success Rate

In researching productivity, we must recognize the amount of success that a ball carrier had over an extended time. This category identifies which rushers reached the lead stick at the highest rate for a minimum of 1,500 runs in the NFL. In other words, on their 1st down carries, they achieved at least 40% of the yardage needed; on 2nd down, 60%; and on the money downs of 3rd and 4th, they got that first down yardage needed.

Clinton Portis, in his time with the Denver Broncos and the Washington Redskins, had a successful run with the pigskin 48% of the time. The former Miami Hurricane back and 2002 Offensive Rookie of the Year was about as dependable to fight for those yards as they come.

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Most Career Yards

The most popular measurement of a running back in the league is their production in yardage over time. We are now getting into the big names in deciding who is the best running back in NFL history. These are the usual subjects when conversations reflect on who might have been the best ever. These fellas are the measuring stick for all others to be compared.

This Dallas Cowboys and later Arizona Cardinals rusher is at the top of the list for having the most yards on the ground in NFL history. Smith’s 18,355 career rushing yards are still the top mark others are chasing. The former Florida Gator is also at the top in career rushing touchdowns with 164, nearly 20 more than Mr. Tomlinson, who is second on the list. It is no wonder that Emmitt appeared in eight Pro Bowls, was a four-time All-Pro, was on three Super Bowl champs, and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.

Sweetness played on only the Chicago Bears during his tenure in the NFL. Walter was swift, elusive, and yet a powerful runner when he needed to be. The former Jackson State rusher produced 16,726 yards on the ground, 110 times crossing the goal line with the ball. We often forget that Payton was on some bad Bears teams for much of his career. There was that time in 1985, though, when the Chicago Bears were the best team in football, and the face of that talented team was Sweetness himself as “Da’ Bears” won the Lombardi Trophy.

In the past few decades, a handful of backs have surpassed Jim Brown in total yards on the ground. The legendary Syracuse runner sits 12th on the all-time rushing list, but his 12,312 yards were the best for decades. Brown ironically played for the Cleveland Browns under coach Paul Brown and lived up to the hype of being a first-round selection in the 1957 NFL Draft. His 106 TDs and 5.2 yards per carry are legendary.

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Conclusion

There you go … we have presented the facts in different facets of being an NFL running back. There are some great names on this list with their accomplishments to help you decide who may be the best running back in the NFL’s history. To further explore these stats, go to Pro-Football-Reference and draw your own conclusions.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 27th, 2023 at 10:20 am and is filed under Top Lists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.