3. Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions
It's possible that we could see Jahmyr Gibbs ascend to the top spot on this list by the end of the 2026 season, especially without David Montgomery in the mix.
Although Gibbs will be expected to take on a bigger workload yet again this season for the Lions, the real reason to be excited about him in 2026 is not necessarily more touches, but the arrival of new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
Regardless of the OC in Detroit, Gibbs has been posting ridiculous, video game-like numbers. But the struggles of the offense last year led to Detroit moving on from John Morton during the season, simply trying to patch things together as the year went along.
Gibbs having a better OC in place could lead to his most efficient year yet. He has come close on multiple occasions now to reaching 2,000 yards from scrimmage, but I'm predicting he will surpass that number easily in 2026.
2. Christian McCaffrey, 49ers
Whenever Christian McCaffrey's playing career is over, and I hope that's not anytime soon, he will undoubtedly need to be in any conversations about the best to ever do it at the running back position.
When you think back to what McCaffrey did at Stanford as the most versatile player in all of college football, and how he's managed to translate that so well to the NFL level, it's truly something that won't be appreciated enough in its time.
McCaffrey is fresh off of yet another otherworldly season for the 49ers, touching the ball a career-high 413 times and racking up 2,126 yards from scrimmage with 17 total touchdowns. In the NFL today, there are simply not many players you can trust with that many touches. Defenses know McCaffrey is getting the ball the majority of the time, and they simply can't stop him.
He's got elite vision, playmaking ability, strong hands, and one of the most natural feels for the game you'll ever see.
1. Bijan Robinson, Falcons
It's hard to rank any back in the NFL above Christian McCaffrey right now, but Bijan Robinson makes as strong of a case as you possibly can.
Robinson finished last season with 2,298 yards from scrimmage and 11 total touchdowns, but his numbers are going into another stratosphere this season without Tyler Allgeier to snipe any of his touches in the red zone.
Robinson's abilities as both a runner and receiver are very similar to those of Christian McCaffrey, and the Falcons have found ways to make him extremely efficient with a high volume of touches. Kevin Stefanski and his staff are going to be tasked with maximizing this superstar once again, and when the season opens up, Robinson might be the highest-paid back in league history.
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