Top 10 RBs of all time

Here's mine

1. Barry Sanders

2. Walter Payton

3. Jim Brown

4. Emmitt Smith

5. Earl Campbell

6. Eric ****serson

7. Gale Sayers

8. Thurman Thomas

9. Adrian Peterson

10. Tony Dorsett

1. James white

I can't stand LT, but he belongs on that list.
All time:
3rd in TDs
5th in rushing yards
5th in yards from scrimmage
61 in receptions

And maybe Marshall Faulk (again, can't stand the guy, but maybe the best dual-threat):
11th in rush yards
4th in yards from scrimmage
7th in TDs
34 in receptions - only one of two RB to have 1000+ yards rushing and receiving in a single season

I feel dirty reping those two...

Satchboogie3 said:

I can't stand LT, but he belongs on that list.
All time:
3rd in TDs
5th in rushing yards
5th in yards from scrimmage
61 in receptions

And maybe Marshall Faulk (again, can't stand the guy, but maybe the best dual-threat):
11th in rush yards
4th in yards from scrimmage
7th in TDs
34 in receptions - only one of two RB to have 1000+ yards rushing and receiving in a single season

I feel dirty reping those two...

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I just don't know about these two. Not the runners per se, but the style. I think we're going to see many more of these types of yard accumulators going forward in the modern NFL.

For example, if you take any of the OP's top 10, made it a must they had to have decent hands too, and made them the primary short yardage option on any modern offense heavy NFL team, what types of numbers would they put up comparatively to those two? They'd all get more touches, more open field, and have longer careers. If it weren't for the death of the workhorse running back (of which these two were among the last) they might already be out of the top 20.

pdangle said:

I just don't know about these two. Not the runners per se, but the style. I think we're going to see many more of these types of yard accumulators going forward in the modern NFL.

For example, if you take any of the OP's top 10, made it a must they had to have hands too, and made them the primary short option on a modern offense heavy NFL team, what types of numbers would they put up comparatively to those two They'd all get more touches, more open field, and have longer careers. If it weren't for the death of the workhorse running back (of which they were among the last) these guys might already be out of the top 20.

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Fair points. Longevity has to play a role in all-time rankings, so I'd take off Gale Sayers and Earl Campbell and replace them with LT and Faulk. They probably end up 9/10 on the list, but no way can I put Sayers and Campbell ahead of them.

Satchboogie3 said:

Fair points. Longevity has to play a role in all-time rankings, so I'd take off Gale Sayers and Earl Campbell and replace them with LT and Faulk. They probably end up 9/10 on the list, but no way can I put Sayers and Campbell ahead of them.

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You got it backwards, for me I drop LT into the #20's and Faulk into the #30's just bc, of the style of NFL when they played. I think any of those top 10 would have much the same if not better numbers in a pass happy, lighter hitting league. Just because, again IMO, they are MUCH better runners, just that they played when that's all runners did.

WHPats said:

Here's mine

1. Barry Sanders

2. Walter Payton

3. Jim Brown

4. Emmitt Smith

5. Earl Campbell

6. Eric ****serson

7. Gale Sayers

8. Thurman Thomas

9. Adrian Peterson

10. Tony Dorsett

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Nice list. Not sure about the order but I watched Detroit games to watch Sanders run. He was incredible. Unfortunately I never saw Jim Brown run so I would not be able to compare the two.

IDK about Jim Brown. I wish I could see more. He needs to be included but IDK where to put him for sure. Also I look at the total value of the player and that means I don't hold it against backs if they do a lot of damage catching the ball. If we are to do this honestly we must get past our LT hate. The guy was a beast in his prime particularly.

#1 Walter Payton
#2 Barry Sanders
#3 Marshall Faulk - Get over it Faulk... Jeez.
#4 LT - Yes he is hated here but deserves respect
#5 Eric ****erson
#6 OJ Simpson - What a scum bag piece of trash. Hate him but he belongs on this list.
#7 Adrian Peterson
#8 Emmitt Smith
#9 Earl Campbell
#1-10? Jim Brown

Also IDC what style LT/Faulk play with in what NFL era, they would dominate. They were amazing athletes and players. As people.... they could have been bigger. Also we MUST include OJ Simpson if we go just by what was done on the field. Dude was amazing. Too bad he was such a murdering piece of trash.

Crazy that people have Faulk and LdT so high.

Can't believe they are ahead of the people below them.

I watched these guys play.

I mean, they are not in Brown or Simpson or ****erson's universe.

upstater1 said:

Crazy that people have Faulk and LdT so high.

Can't believe they are ahead of the people below them.

I watched these guys play.

I mean, they are not in Brown or Simpson or ****erson's universe.

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From a running perspective Brown and ****erson are ahead clearly (again I can not speak to Brown cause I can't look at enough film) but this is top 10 RBs not top 10 runners. I factored in the entire impact they brought to the team when on the field.

when that is done their pass catching is clearly ahead of Simpson/****erson so it makes it at the least arguable IMO.

Never got to see him play, but from what I've read and heard, Jim Brown is considered by many to be the best football player of all time, not just RB.

I'll give you five:

Jim Brown
Walter Payton
Barry Sanders
Earl Campbell
Eric ****erson

I'll give top 5.

1.Barry Sanders
2.Jim Brown
3 Walter Peyton
4.Earl Campbell
5.Emmitt Smith

My list:
1. Jim Brown. I've read a lot about him, and seen many film clips. Retired at age 30 while still at the peak of his game. Best combo of power and speed.
2. Walter Payton. I saw his entire career. Best all-around RB (running, receiving, blocking). He could also throw and kick proficiently (at Jackson State), but don't know if I recall any instances of this in the NFL (will have to check).
3. Barry Sanders. Simply the shiftiest RB I ever saw. He was always looking to "hit a home run". Saw many games where he had very pedestrian stats (for example, maybe 20 carries for 50 yards), and then break a long run or two in the 4th quarter to end with excellent stats. By this, I mean he was taking a lot of risks trying to always break the big run instead of accepting what was available (like a 4 or 5 yard gain). I'm sure there were multiple seasons where he led the NFL in negative yardage runs.
4. Earl Campbell. The most powerful RB I ever saw when he was in his prime. I knew his career was over when I saw him as a Saint go around the right end from around the five yard line, square up to the goal line and get stood up and driven back at the goal line by a 185 lb defensive back. That's when I knew his legs were gone.
5. Eric ****erson. He was a powerful, fluid runner, and probably doesn't get enough credit as a decent receiver.
6. O.J. Simpson. I feel slimy for even typing this name. But he was the smoothest I saw at imperceptibly changing gears as he accelerated through a crease.

With apologies to Emmitt Smith, Jim Taylor (he was probably the second best RB for the first half of the 60s), LT, Gale Sayers (could easily have been in the top three if they had arthroscopy surgery back in the 60s), Thurman Thomas, Franco Harris (wasn't a lot of WOW highlights, but always seemed to get the yards needed).

I'm sure there are others I missed...

You could probably have two top 10 lists for all time great running backs. There are that many great ones.

I'll go 5

1. Earl Campbell - Didn't have the longegevity but for a short period of time he was the most dominate back I've ever seen in all aspects... Power, eleusiveness, speed, receiving, blocking he coul do it all in his prime.

2. Jim Brown - this is a tough one because I never saw him play but from everything I've read and from the clips I've seen he would be 2.

3. Barry Sanders - all I can say is just wow when it comes to his style. The guy was so unique he was fun to watch.

4. Gayle Sayers - the smoothest runner to ever play the game. If he played in today's game with the advancements in treating injuries he would have put up massive records.

5. OJ - I hate to put him on this list but for those who watched this play he was truly a gifted runner.

Regardless of which order you put them in, the top three have to be Jim Brown, Barry Sanders and Walter Payton.

Any 'best RBs of all time' list omitting those three from the top slots deserves a healthy dose of skepticism.

WHPats said:

Here's mine

1. Barry Sanders

2. Walter Payton

3. Jim Brown

4. Emmitt Smith

5. Earl Campbell

6. Eric ****serson

7. Gale Sayers

8. Thurman Thomas

9. Adrian Peterson

10. Tony Dorsett

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Great List !

I agree with Sanders being #1, best I've ever seen. And as much as I loved Sweetness (Walter Payton for you young'uns who might not know his nickname), I would rate Jim Brown above him. Brown and Sanders are the only 2 backs with over 1,500+ carries who averaged over 5 yards a carry.

Also, as crazy and as sick as OJ Simpson is as a human being, he belongs on EVERY top 10 list as far as RBs.

Saw Jim Brown easy #!.

He was the focus of EVERY game he ever played in, but don't take my word for it ask a guy who is my age, BB he will tell you the same thing.

Statistics are only part of the equation, but here is a listing of the most career yards from scrimmage per game. The minimum here is obviously too low for 'best ever', but the chart does a nice job of comparing many of the all-time greats.

Who has the highest yards from scrimmage per game with at least 40 career games? | StatMuse