NFL Power Rankings 2020: Ranking every starting running back

29. James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers

Conner is entering a make or break season for his role as a starter in the NFL. The fourth-year running back went through some high peaks and deep valleys since committing to the University of Pittsburgh. Coming off a year where he couldn’t stay healthy and struggled to make an impact on Pittsburgh’s crippled offense, Conner needs to at least double his production from last season.

Conner arrived at Pitt in 2013 for his freshman season. After a decent first season, Conner erupted onto the collegiate scene as a sophomore, rushing for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns. He led the ACC in both categories and won the conference Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year awards. However, Conner tore his MCL during the first game of Pitt’s 2015 season, and doctors made a shocking discovery during his rehab.

Doctors informed Conner that they found tumors surrounding his heart. It was Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Last year, Conner went on rapper Mike Stud’s podcast “Ya Neva Know: You Know What I Mean?” and revealed how close he came to dying.

“The doctor told me, ‘You had about a week left,'” Conner told the rapper. “‘You had about a week at the rate it was growing.’ I think about that every day. Like, I got to go hard.”

Conner did defeat cancer and triumphantly returned to Pitt, leading the team with 1,092 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in 2016. The Steelers picked him in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. In the NFL, Conner played behind Le’Veon Bell for a year before assuming the starting role.

In his first season as a starter, Conner amassed 1,470 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns in 13 games. He made the Pro Bowl. Unfortunately, injuries and inconsistent play ruined Conner’s 2019 campaign. Now, fans wonder if he can even stay healthy for a full 16-game season.