The Greatest NFL Running Backs of All Time

Jim Brown tops almost every ranking of the greatest running backs of all time — three MVPs and eight rushing titles in only nine seasons. Below is the all-time running back order as fans and analysts agree on it, from Brown, Payton and Barry Sanders down through the modern greats, with our take on the arguments that never end.

The order follows the fan and expert consensus — we don’t invent our own. Where the debate is genuinely open, our note says how we lean. Every player here comes from an era you can draft in the game, where our engine rates each season against its own time. How the ratings work →

1. 1
   Jim Brown1957–1965

   3× MVP8× rushing championLed the league in 8 of 9 seasons

   Retired at the top at 29 and still ranks first on most lists — no back ever dominated his era by a wider margin.

2. 2
   Walter Payton1975–1987

   1977 MVP9× Pro BowlSuper Bowl XX champion
3. 3
   Barry Sanders1989–1998

   1997 MVP4× rushing champion10× Pro Bowl

   Our take: the eye-test favorite — he walked away in his prime, or the yardage record would likely be his.

4. 4
   Emmitt Smith1990–2004

   NFL all-time rushing leader1993 MVP3× Super Bowl champion

   Holds the record and the rings; Barry-vs-Emmitt is really artistry vs. longevity, and both sides are right.

5. 5
   LaDainian Tomlinson2001–2011

   2006 MVPNFL-record 31 TDs in 20062× rushing champion
6. 6
   Adrian Peterson2007–2021

   2012 MVP3× rushing champion2,097 yards in 2012
7. 7
   Marshall Faulk1994–2005

   2000 MVP3× Offensive Player of the YearSuper Bowl XXXIV champion

   The prototype dual-threat back — the first defenses had to game-plan for as a receiver too.

8. 8
   Eric Dickerson1983–1993

   Single-season rushing record (2,105)4× rushing champion6× Pro Bowl
9. 9
   O.J. Simpson1969–1979

   1973 MVPFirst to rush for 2,000 yards4× rushing champion
10. 10
    Earl Campbell1978–1985

    1979 MVP3× Offensive Player of the Year3× rushing champion
11. 11
    Gale Sayers1965–1971

    5× First-Team All-Pro2× rushing championYoungest Hall of Fame inductee

    A short, injury-shortened career electric enough to make Canton anyway.

12. 12
    Tony Dorsett1977–1988

    Super Bowl XII champion1977 Rookie of the Year12,000+ rushing yards
13. 13
    Thurman Thomas1988–2000

    1991 MVP5× Pro BowlFour straight Super Bowl trips
14. 14
    Curtis Martin1995–2005

    2004 rushing champion5× Pro Bowl4th all-time rushing yards
15. 15
    Terrell Davis1995–2001

    1998 MVP2× Super Bowl championSuper Bowl XXXII MVP

    A three-year peak as good as anyone’s; injuries cut it short, but the Hall still called.

16. 16
    Marcus Allen1982–1997

    1985 MVPSuper Bowl XVIII MVPFirst with 10,000 rushing and 5,000 receiving

A consensus ranking, not our invention — aggregated from the fan and expert lists people actually argue over. Names and honors are public record. Draft any of these eras for real in Draft Challenger.