Running backs make up some of the most loved players in NFL history.
Many greats have played the position over the years, plenty of whom have remained loyal to one franchise for the vast majority of their careers.
Yards per carry and total rushing yards are of course important, but to go down as one of the greatest running backs a player had to consistently light up games and do the seemingly impossible.
There are many hall of famers missing from this list, honourable mentions must go to Gale Sayers, Marshall Faulk, Eric Dickerson, O.J. Simpson and Adrian Peterson.
There are plenty of others, but DAZN looks at five of the greatest running backs to ever play the sport.
Barry Sanders (1989-1998)
Barry Sanders is widely regarded as the best player to never play in a Super Bowl.
In 1997, Sanders was named NFL MVP after totalling 2,053 yards on the ground and another 305 as a receiver.
That season is one of only eight where a running back has topped 2,000 yards, with Sanders' tally coming fourth for a single-season total.
In total the hall of famer notched up 15,269 yards on the ground, 2,921 through the air and 109 touchdowns.
Sanders' average of five yards per carry is second among all running backs with over 10,000 yards in their career, behind a Cleveland Brown legend.
Jim Brown (1957-1965)
That legend is Jim Brown, arguably the most talented running back of all time.
Brown averaged 5.2 yards per carry across his nine seasons in the NFL where he was named in the Pro Bowl in every campaign.
The hall of famer played in an era where defences were designed specifically to stop the run game, but that did not stop Brown leading the NFL in rushing yards in eight of his nine seasons.
Brown remains the only player in NFL history to average over 100 rushing yards per game, a staggering statistic considering he played 118 games.
Brown's Cleveland side also won the 1964 NFL Championship, yet another game where he topped 100 yards.
Walter Payton (1975-1987)
Second on the all-time list of rushing yards is Walter Payton, who spent his whole career with the Chicago Bears.
Payton, nicknamed 'Sweetness', rushed for a total of 16,726 yards across his 12 seasons, a figure which led the all-time NFL list for 20 years.
The nine-time Pro Bowler was part of the Bears team which won Super Bowl XX, a convincing 46-10 win over the New England Patriots.
Payton was not only dominant on the ground, he also added 4,538 yards through the air to put him third in the NFL's all-time yards from scrimmage.
'Sweetness' passed away far too young at the age of 49 after contracting a rare liver disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis, but he will always be remembered as one of the greats of the position.
LaDainian Tomlinson (2001-2011)
LaDainian Tomlinson spent all but two of his seasons in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers, before finishing his career with the New York Yets.
Despite the Chargers franchise being generally unsuccessful during his career, individually Tomlinson had one of the most successful careers of any running back.
'L.T.', as he is commonly referred to, ranks seventh in all-time rushing yards and is one of only five running backs with over 100 receptions in a single season - as well as 2022 Chargers back Austin Ekeler.
Tomlinson's best season came in 2006 where he was named NFL MVP, during which he set the NFL's single season records for rushing touchdowns scored (28) and total touchdowns scored (31).
'L.T.' was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017, and finished his career with 13,684 rushing yards and 18,456 total yards from scrimmage - sixth of all time.
Emmitt Smith (1990-2004)
Last up on this list is former Dallas Cowboys star Emmitt Smith, who is the only running back to pass Payton's rushing total and as a result tops the all-time rushing yards table with 18,355.
Smith's 21,579 total yards from scrimmage puts him second of all time behind three-time Super Bowl winning wide receiver Jerry Rice.
Smith's 164 rushing touchdown also remains the all-time NFL record, as he helped the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowls in 1993, 1994 and 1996.
His elite production and success in the Super Bowl makes him a leading candidate in the greatest running back of all time conversation.
In his 15th and final season in the NFL, Smith still ran for 937 yards, the exact same total as in his rookie season.
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