NFL Personnel Votes On Best Running Backs In League, Appear Too Low On Cleveland’s Nick Chubb

ESPN conducted a poll where they asked over 50 people that work in the NFL, who the best running back in the league is. Among those asked were executives, players and scouts within different organizations. You can see this list below, where Saquon Barkley leads the way. Cleveland Browns fans may have one question, why is Nick Chubb so low?

In a poll conducted with more than 50 NFL executives, scouts and players, ESPN ranked the top 10 running backs for this upcoming season. pic.twitter.com/HVWvg6lsYL
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 9, 2020

From a pure rushing standpoint, Barkley is surely not the best running back in the league. 4.6 yards per attempt last season was 14th in the league, which is good, just is not the best. No question that when Barkley is on the field he is a force, both in the rushing and receiving game. That is where the question is, is this list for best all-around running backs, or is it pure running backs. It would make sense if it was more of a list for pure “running” backs, a list based on the best rush artists.

Christian McCaffrey comes next, which if this list was based on best all-around backs, he would surely be first. McCaffrey is a different breed that can get you a 1,000 yards both on the ground and receiving, a fantasy football legend. Ezekiel Elliott follows McCaffrey, which is okay as well. Elliott when on the field has been consistent in putting up rushing numbers. Since entering the league he has averaged over 96 yards per game, which is a pretty significant number.

This is where things go wrong for this list, Alvin Kamara at four. Kamara has never went over 200 carries in a season, as he isn’t one you want running between the tackles often. Kamara is a weaker version of McCaffrey in a sense, that isn’t going to get the same amount of touches. Kamara splits a lot of his touches, and his production was down significantly in 2019, he is better suited closer to number 10 on this list.

Derrick Henry at five is fine on this list, he was the best running back in the league last year and he looked to have added an extra step to his speed. In 2018 was the first year that Henry was able to get full time carries, when he carried the ball 215 times. This was Henry’s first 1,000 yard season, where he was able to gain 4.9 yards per an attempt. Over 1,500 yards last year, leading the league in rushing is exactly what Henry did. Good for over 102 yards per game, Henry was a huge reason why Titans were a solid team.

Dalvin Cook comes in at six on this list, which is not great considering the fact that he has missed 19 games through three seasons. You simply can not be one of the best running backs in the league when you are unavailable, it’s just how it works. Cook had his first quality season in 2019, running in a wide zone blocking scheme. 81 yards rushing per game was still not a huge number, considering the offense was built around running the ball in Minnesota. It will be interesting to see how Cook does with his former offensive coordinator gone.

Nick Chubb at number seven seems to be a bad spot for him. In fact, I would switch Alvin Kamara spots with Chubb - to make this a more complete list. Nick Chubb only started nine games his rookie year, and still managed 996 yards on that campaign. 5.2 yards an attempt really stood out, it showed Cleveland they had their guy going forward. Chubb followed his rookie year up with a big time season of nearly 1,500 yards, which becomes impressive when you think about the circumstances he was dealt. The Cleveland offensive line was weak at three positions, and the former head coach Freddie Kitchens never stuck to a game plan. Still, carrying the ball five yards per an attempt was great for Chubb, showing he’s one of the best in the game. You will not find any off field issues with Chubb, he’s just a workhorse. Also, he isn’t going to give a ton in the passing game, count on him giving you 200-300 yards a season there. Much of that has to do with Kareem Hunt being on the teams roster, who is one of the best pass catching running backs in the league.

With an improved offensive line, Kevin Stefanski implementing his offense and another year in the league, Chubb will surely be a top five running back in the league. Placing him at number four would surely make this a more complete list. Cleveland has one of the best in the game in orange and brown.