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NFL Power Rankings 2020: Ranking every starting running back

By Samuel Teets

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 01: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers before their game against the Washington Redskins at Bank of America Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 01: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers before their game against the Washington Redskins at Bank of America Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /
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Miles Sanders, NFL Power Rankings (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
Miles Sanders, NFL Power Rankings (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

10. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles

Based on his production last year alone, this spot is a little high for Sanders, but he’ll grow into it. Entering the 2019 season, most football fans knew Sanders as the running back who faced the daunting task of replacing Saquon Barkley at Penn State. While Sanders didn’t vault into the Heisman conversation, he did rush for more yards as a junior (1,274) than his predecessor (1,271).

The Eagles selected Sanders with the 53rd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Early in the season, Sanders sat behind veteran Jordan Howard. However, when Howard got injured, Sanders took over the starting role and never gave it back. In his final nine regular-season games, the PSU product averaged 97.4 yards from scrimmage.

Sanders brings rare versatility to the table that could help keep Philadelphia’s offense in balance, even if Carson Wentz gets injured. In 11 starts, Sanders produced 818 rushing yards and 509 receiving yards last season. He reached 1,327 yards from scrimmage on 229 touches. In comparison, it took Josh Jacobs 262 touches to reach 1,316 yards from scrimmage.

The only thing preventing Sanders from rising higher on the list is his limited sample size. I want to see a full season of Sanders as a feature back before placing him in the same conversation as perennial Pro Bowlers.

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