Top 25 Running Backs in NFL History | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Team(s): Detroit Lions (10 seasons)

Accolades: Six-time first-team All-Pro, 10-time Pro Bowler, 1994 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, 1997 NFL MVP, 1997 NFL Offensive Player of the Year

Key Stats: 15,269 rushing yards (third), 99 rushing touchdowns (fifth), 5.0 yards per carry, 2,921 receiving yards

Sanders is not only the most entertaining running back ever to play but also the most productive and conducive to his team's success. 

Without Sanders, the '90s would have been a long decade for the Lions. He managed to carry the offense on his shoulders without much talent on the offensive line or weapons to distract defenses from the running game.

Despite their focus on containing him, defenses never truly figured out how to do it. With eyes in the back of his head and unbelievable lateral agility, he was always a handful to game-plan against, and the numbers tell the same story. 

Sanders surpassed 1,000 yards on the ground and was voted to the Pro Bowl in every season he played in the NFL before calling it quits due to lack of passion to continue. If he had stayed in pads, there's no telling how high his yardage total could have climbed. 

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