Walter Payton
Barry Sanders
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Walter Payton leads 2 of 3 categories. Our all-time ranking places Walter Payton at #8 and Barry Sanders at #10.
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The case for Walter Payton
Sweetness combined grace, durability, and toughness into the most complete running back of his generation. Payton retired as the NFL all-time leader in rushing yards with 16,726 and rushing touchdowns with 110, and his 21,264 all-purpose yards reflected his value as a receiver and blocker as well as a runner. He was famed for finishing runs by lowering his shoulder into tacklers rather than avoiding them, and for near-perfect availability across thirteen seasons with the Chicago Bears. He won the 1977 MVP and a Super Bowl in the Bears dominant 1985 season. The NFL Man of the Year award now bears his name, honoring the character and community work that made him one of the sport most beloved figures as well as one of its greatest.
The case for Barry Sanders
No runner was more electrifying, or more impossible to tackle in the open field, than Barry Sanders. In just ten seasons with a mostly modest Detroit Lions supporting cast, he ran for 15,269 yards and 99 touchdowns while averaging 5.0 yards per carry, and he made the Pro Bowl in all ten years. His 1997 MVP season saw him rush for 2,053 yards, one of only a handful of 2,000-yard campaigns in history. Sanders combined a preternaturally low center of gravity with stop-start agility that left defenders grasping at air, producing highlight runs that remain iconic. He shocked the sport by retiring at 30, within reach of the all-time rushing record, leaving fans to wonder just how high his numbers might have climbed.