Top 20 Running Backs of the 2000's: 20 - 11

Once again, we are setting aside our Mystery Box NFL collection and getting into the nitty gritty of ranking players. Today let’s take a gander at our Sports Mystery Boxes instead… just kidding. Let’s look at the running backs that rank 20 - 11 on our list!

20. Todd Gurley

There was a point in his career that he was the most feared running back in the NFL, by a wide margin. However, after suffering even more knee problems at only the age of 24 (the same season he scored 21 total touchdowns), his career took a major downturn. After that age 24 season he only spent 2 more years in the NFL.

19. Jamaal Charles

Charles was a fixture in Andy Reid’s offense for many seasons. When he wasn’t injured he was one of the most electric players of his era. Whether it was in the rushing game or in the receiving game, Jamaal Charles was capable of ripping off a huge paly for a touchdown at any given time. 

18. Fred Taylor
He had the backfield mostly to himself early in his career and then shared the backfield with UCLA’s Maurice Jones-Drew later on in his career. Either way, he finished his long career with nearly 14,000 total yards and 74 total touchdowns.

17. Chris Johnson

We haven’t seen many players with the speed that Chris Johnson displayed in his prime. The smallest hole and he could take the rock to the endzone for 6. Similar to Todd Gurley, most of his success was early in his career, but the rest of of his career outside of Tennessee was pretty lackluster. Still, crossing the 2,000 yard mark in 2009 is a feat to behold.

16. Shaun Alexander

Alexander the Great had a fascinating career. After spending his first season as a backup, he was told that he was holding his breath on his runs and therefore causing him to not have the energy to break off long runs. Once that was fixed, he rushed for 14+ touchdowns for the next 5 seasons including 27 rushing touchdowns in 2005.

15. Christian McCaffrey

The former top 10 pick could have easily been higher on this list if it were not for the injuries that he has sustained over his career. He is a threat year in and year out to have 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards and in fact, in 2019 he crossed both of those thresholds. If he can stay healthy over the next few seasons, he will be in in the top 10.

14. Matt Forte

It’s not everyday where a running back is capable of catching 100 passes in a season, but Matt Forte was not your everyday running back. In the 2014 season, Matt Forte rushed for 1,038 yards, caught 102 passes for 808 yards while getting into the endzone 10 times.

13. Alvin Kamara

Similar to the past 2 RB’s Kamara is so good because of his dual threat ability. AK has been a pro bowl player every season of his career, despite not getting the rushing volume that many other top backs receive. He is entering year 6 of his career, but it’s with an entirely different cast than he has played with before, we wull see how it goes. 

12. Ezekiel Elliott

The number 4 overall pick in the 2016 draft class has sure lived up to his billing. Right out of the gate he instantly became one of the best backs in the NFL. He already lead the  the NFL in rushing yards twice and also lead in yads per game on 3 different occasions. On top of that he has never missed significant time due to injury.

11. Tiki Barber
His career started much slower than most of the players on this list, only eclipsing 1,000 yards once in his first 5 seasons. However, he then finished his career with 5 straight seasons of 1,200= yards on the ground including 1,860 yards in 2005.

That's it for 20-11, but click here to see 10-1! And as always, come check out our collection of NFL Mystery Boxes, autographed jerseys and all kinds of NFL Memorabilia.