Even though the AFC might have a bigger number of top-end teams and better quarterbacks at the top heading into 2025, there is one clear area where the NFC has an advantage: The running back position.
The NFC is absolutely loaded at running back heading into the 2025 season, and that’s what we’re going to try to sort out as we jump into our newest NFL Power Rankings.
As loaded as this conference is at the running back position, it’s difficult to sort all these players and differentiate them. Who are the best running backs in the NFC heading into the 2025 season? As the NFL emphasizes running the ball more and more, these guys will be under tremendous pressure to carry the load for their offenses.
NFL Power Rankings: Ranking every NFC RB worst to best in 2025
17. Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys
To say the last couple of years have been rough for Javonte Williams in Denver would be an understatement. Williams has been their team leader in carries the past two seasons, but he’s not really been able to get anything going. And that’s with the Broncos being among the best in the NFL in run block win rate. Williams once looked like one of the most promising young backs in the NFL, but a knee injury early in the 2022 season has made him a different player. We’ll see if he can rekindle anything in Dallas.
16. Austin Ekeler/Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders
Regardless of who you put in there for the Washington Commanders, that’s a team right now that is taking a pretty big leap of faith at the running back position. The trade sending Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers was a big leap of faith by Dan Quinn, Kliff Kingsbury, and GM Adam Peters. Austin Ekeler is still effective as a pass-catching option, but who is going to carry the load in the running game? Right now, all of the focus is on the seventh-round rookie Croskey-Merritt, whose last meaningful stretch of games played was at New Mexico.
15. Kenneth Walker/Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks are going to be an interesting team to watch this year in terms of their backfield timeshare. While Kenneth Walker has been a stud at times when healthy, his lack of availability has also been extremely concerning. He is still effective at breaking tackles and creating yards after contact, but does he have what it takes to fend off Zach Charbonnet in 2025? The Seahawks have maybe a little bit of a controversy on their hands after both these guys posted nearly identical numbers last year.
14. D’Andre Swift, Chicago Bears
It’s going to be fun to see how quickly Kyle Monangai becomes part of this conversation for the Chicago Bears, or if he becomes part of the conversation at all. Something that may get talked about more among the Bears’ fan base than nationally is the fact that D’Andre Swift was a castoff of the Detroit Lions when Ben Johnson was still there, and now he’s got him again. Obviously, Johnson didn’t want him before, but now he’s basically got no choice. Swift posted a career-high 1,345 yards from scrimmage last year, so perhaps the arrow is pointing up.
13. Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings
Over the last seven or eight years, few backs in the NFL have been as consistent as Aaron Jones. The former Green Bay Packers star played in his first year with the Minnesota Vikings last year, and once again averaged over five yards per touch with 1,546 yards from scrimmage, the second-most of his NFL career. Jones was very good for the Vikings, but is also getting older and the team brought in Jordan Mason via trade this offseason for some depth. We’ll see if Jones takes a step back in terms of overall usage this offseason, but he’s still a very solid player with a high floor.
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.
8. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
James Conner might not be the most exciting running back in the NFL, but he’s boringly consistent, and delivers on a weekly basis. Conner has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the Cardinals and four straight years with over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and at least eight touchdowns. He’s been extremely effective there in Arizona and is fresh off of a career-best with over 1,500 yards from scrimmage.
7. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Even as fun as Bucky Irving was to watch at Oregon, I don’t know that even his most optimistic supporters could have foreseen the impact he’d make on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a rookie last season. Irving was 6th in NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting with 1,514 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. On 254 total touches, Irving only fumbled the ball twice, and looks like he’s well beyond his years as a three-down back. The Bucs have a rising star on their hands and someone who could eclipse 2,000 yards from scrimmage if they continue to ramp up his involvement.
6. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
The Rams made a substantial financial investment in Kyren Williams this offseason after his second straight outstanding year for the team, proving himself to be a great fit in Sean McVay’s offense. Williams had 1,481 yards from scrimmage last season along with 15 touchdowns, bringing him up to 31 total touchdowns over the past two seasons. Even though his production took a bit of a step back on a per-touch basis this past season, Williams is still one of the most consistent backs in the NFC heading into the 2025 season.
5. Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers
Josh Jacobs being 5th on a list like this is indicative of just how insane the NFC is when it comes to the running back position. Jacobs had 16 touchdowns last year for the Green Bay Packers in his first year with the team, and bounced back to the All-Pro form we saw from him while he was with the Las Vegas Raiders. His 1,671 yards from scrimmage were the second-most he’s had in any season so far in his career, and the Packers obviously took the next step offensively last year with him in the lineup.
4. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
The fact that Bijan Robinson averaged 5.2 yards per touch last year on 365 total touches is absolutely absurd. If the Falcons can get improvement from their defense this season, this is exactly the type of weapon who can help them close the gap on the Buccaneers in the NFC South. Robinson was highly touted coming out of Texas, and for good reason. He’s proven to be just as good, if not better, as people hoped he could be. He finished with 1,887 yards from scrimmage and a whopping 18 touchdowns last season.
3. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
Call me sentimental, but I still think Christian McCaffrey is one of the most dynamic game-changers in the entire NFL. McCaffrey obviously has a lengthy injury history that is problematic, but he’s also got a history of producing, unlike just about everyone else as an offensive weapon. He had 2,023 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns just two seasons ago, and if he’s fully healthy, we can only expect to see that video game-like production. Kyle Shanahan knows exactly how to use McCaffrey, and McCaffrey is on a different level than everyone else when he’s operating at full strength.
2. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
Jahmyr Gibbs was a shocking pick when the Lions took him early in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. As much as everyone seemed to think they got that one wrong at the time, it looks like they were the only ones who were right. Gibbs has touched the ball 536 times so far as an NFL player and is averaging an outrageous 6.0 yards per touch. He had 1,929 yards from scrimmage last year despite the presence of David Montgomery within that Lions offense, along with 20 total touchdowns. He’s as elite as it gets.
1. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
If the NFL MVP award weren’t just automatically a best quarterback contest, Saquon Barkley probably would have been the MVP last year. In another era of football, this guy would be revered as a football god. Barkley’s first year with the Philadelphia Eagles was equal parts dominant and cathartic as he not only showed the Giants what they were missing, but helped Philly win the Super Bowl in his first year with the team. With a career-high 2,283 yards from scrimmage, Barkley had one of the most ridiculous seasons you’ll ever see from a running back.