12. Tyrone Tracy, New York Giants
There will be some competition as the season rolls along from rookie Cam Skattebo for touches, but Tyrone Tracy was a welcomed surprise last year in the Giants’ stellar rookie class. Tracy was once a wide receiver at Iowa who transferred to Purdue and became a legit NFL running back prospect. Tracy’s rookie year with the Giants was a lot of fun with over 1,100 yards from scrimmage and six total TDs, but he needs to clean up the fumbles. He had five last season. He also put up the numbers we saw with only 58 percent of the snaps played.
11. Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
Chuba Hubbard might be one of the best-kept secrets in the NFL these days. He was once considered an elite prospect at Oklahoma State, but the luster wore off a bit and he lasted all the way to the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Hubbard’s emergence the last couple of seasons has been fun to watch as he racked up 1,195 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns for the Panthers last season. His continued ascent will be critical for the Panthers taking the next step as a team.
10. David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
Unlike the AFC, the NFC has one team with multiple backs on the list. While we’ve been ranking each team’s “best” running back, it didn’t seem fair to leave such a good player like David Montgomery off the list completely. Montgomery has taken a backseat to Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit, but still plays his role exceptionally well. He’s had over 1,000 yards from scrimmage every single year of his NFL career, and has 25 total touchdowns over the last two seasons in Detroit. He’s a stud.
9. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Believe it or not, Alvin Kamara averaged over 100 yards per scrimmage in his 14 games played last season. While the Saints may not be nearly as competitive as a team, Kamara is still capable of completely dominating games. Shockingly, he’s still never run for 1,000 yards in the NFL, which is one of the most mind-boggling stats considering how awesome he’s been since coming into the league. At this stage, Kamara is still a top-flight three-down player. He had the most yards from scrimmage last year that he’s had in any single year since 2020.