Rumor has it running backs don't matter, but I suppose that logic depends upon which ones you're talking about, because they're not all created equal. For when it comes to a se sing the best in the NFL at the position, you're hard-pre sed to keep that argument going, knowing full-well not everyone can do what they do, when/if given the chance. It's the reason the Dallas Cowboys awarded Ezekiel Elliott a historic contract despite re-signing as insurance during his 2019 holdout, and only months after drafting .And, of course, you then saw Christian McCaffrey financially blow the roof off not long thereafter. It's also why the New York Giants will do , the latter not being something the Tenne see Titans wanted to take a chance on when they awarded Derrick Henry his new deal. A myriad of variables determine how succe sful a running back will be at the level, and the bottom line is not all of them are created equal. That becomes deathly clear when attempting to identify the best in all of football.The following 10 players have proven to be in a league of their own, in one way or several.Translation: They matter, and in a major way.Honorable Mention:, , , You have to love "Playoff Lenny," unle s you were one of the defenses tasked with stopping him this past winter. Fournette rejuvenated his brand after going from being released by the lowly in 2020 to being a key reason the hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in Malik Beasley Jersey February, and while he's no longer being asked to carry an entire offensive load, he's still one of the best in the league at the position. The same goes Noah Vonleh Jersey for Carson, who re-signed with the and is easily one of the more slept on halfbacks in the league. If Carson can stay healthy and get back to producing like he did in 2018 and 2019 -- when he delivered 2,810 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns combined -- he'll knock at the door to potentially enter the top 10 on this list. And don't go counting out Ekeler and Montgomery, two players who've stepped into the role of franchise player and who also might be one season away from challenging to be listed this time next year. Pick Six Newsletter Crafted By The Best NFL Experts Get the day's big stories + fun stuff you love like mock drafts, picks and power rankings. I agree to receive the "Pick Six Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. CIN RB #28 If you think Fournette had it bad in Jacksonville...Allow me to introduce you to Mixon, who is an insanely talented player on what was recently literally the worst team in the entire NFL. Sure, things are again looking up for the Bengals, on the heels of grabbing quarterback with the first-overall pick in the 2020 , but Mixon has been one cooking with Crisco for quite some time now. A weapon out of the backfield as either a runner or a receiver, his last two seasons have seen him accumulate 2,888 yards from scrimmage and 17 touchdowns.Consider he's done this with a carousel of questionable QB play and an overall lack of a downfield threat to take the pre sure off of him -- having been repeatedly sidelined with foot i sues -- and despite changes to the coaching staff in Year 3. On any given Sunday, Mixon can adapt to whatever the opposing defense gives him. If he needs to play bully ball, he'll do it. If he Facundo Campazzo Jersey needs to stretch linebackers thin with screen pa ses and force an imbalance in the secondary, he can do that as well. There weren't many bright spots in Cincinnati before Burrow landed, but Mixon has become a lighthouse for Bengals fans desperately looking for something positive to hold onto, and needs only be healthy in 2020 to rejoin Burrow (and now wideout ) in giving opposing defenses a nightmare or two. LV RB #28 Welcome to the party, Mr. Jacobs.A breakout rookie season for the Raiders put Jacobs on the radar for this list, but a bigger sample size was needed before listing him as one of the 10 best in the league at his position. One year later, he's earned the right to be listed here, to say the least. Yes, the Raiders are having difficulties on offense, but it's not because of the run game. Jacobs has been consistent in his ability to punch opposing defenses in the mouth on a weekly basis. Two years in, he already has two 1,000-yard seasons without the benefit of a dominant pa s game to complement him ( notwithstanding) and to take pre sure off of him a a snap-to-snap basis. Zeke Nnaji Jersey All Jacobs did with that complication was pretend it didn't exist, rushing for 2,215 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns in his first two years as a pro and he'd add an extra 404 receiving yards to his stat line in the proce s. Maybe the addition of shaves some of his numbers in 2021 and maybe not, likely the latter. The bottom line is Jacobs will get his reps and he'll make the most of them when he does, as has been the case heading into Year 3. And with looming contract talks on the horizon, he has an added reason to continue elevating his game. A favorite of quarterback and head coach Jon Gruden, Jacobs is the transmi sion that helps the motor go in Las Vegas, and rightfully so. He's one of the brightest up-and-coming stars in the NFL, and he's seemingly just getting started. NYG RB #26 "That's the thought you've often had during one of Barkley's many highlight plays, and there have been quite a bit of them already as he readies for his fourth year in the NFL. Despite his prowe s at Penn State, some were concerned were placing too high of a value on the position when the Giants opted to select Barkley with the second-overall pick only two seasons after the rival used a fourth-overall pick on and one year after the took eighth-overall, but bollocks to that.Barkley is a generational talent who can't be replaced with the next man up on the roster, and anyone who believes so is basically saying the Giants could plug in anyone and get 3,469 yards from scrimmage and 23 touchdowns, and with two different QBs in his first two seasons -- on an offense with an afterthought of a pa sing attack. That, to me, is the equivalent of saying all Daenerys Stormborn needed was three canaries to take the Iron Throne, because "they can fly, too." Whether it was a turnover-prone in 2018 or a rookie in who to sed his share of interceptions the following year, Gary Harris Jersey every team lining up against the Giants knows the only task at hand has been to stop Barkley. Still, they've mostly been unable to do it, and it's because he's one of the best