Former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch appeared on the I Am Athlete Podcast recently and was asked to rank the five best running backs currently in the NFL.
In no particular order, this was his list.
1. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
26-year-old Saquon Barkley is a free agent.
His first five seasons in the NFL and with the New York Giants had a lot of highs and lows and injury woes.
Barkley was selected for the Pro Bowl in both 2018 and 2022, but 2022 was his best season so far.
He rushed for over 1,300 yards and ten touchdowns in the regular season and added two touchdowns in the Giants’ two playoff games.
2. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
Nick Chubb, 27, is the heart and soul of the Cleveland Browns offense.
He has been amazingly consistent, rushing for over 6,300 yards in his four seasons with 48 touchdowns.
Chubb is a four-time Pro Bowler and he was 46 yards shy of the 2019 rushing title which was won by Derrick Henry.
3. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers
Najee Harris has only been in the NFL for two seasons yet he is making his mark.
The 24-year-old was named to the Pro Bowl in his rookie season, 2021.
He has averaged over 1,000 yards rushing each season and has started and played in every regular season game, 34 in total, since he became a Steeler.
4. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
Derrick Henry is 29 years old and has over 8,300 yards in his seven NFL seasons.
His career-best season to date was in 2020 when he rushed for 2,027 yards.
He was the NFL rushing leader in back-to-back seasons, 2019 and 2020.
Henry is the first player to win consecutive rushing titles since LaDanian Tomlinson did it in 2006 and 2007.
5. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
The 2022 rushing leader, Josh Jacobs, has to be on Lynch’s list.
He rushed for 1,653 yards during the season and averaged 97 yards per game.
Jacobs, 25, averaged a career-high 4.9 yards per rushing attempt.
Conclusion
Lynch also mentioned Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott among others while admitting it was hard to narrow the list to five.
Do you agree with Lynch’s top five list?
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