2024 Best NFL running backs: Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry lead rankings

The NFL season is almost here, with Week 1 approaching rapidly. The FOX Sports NFL staff has been rolling out their annual position rankings to get you acquainted with the biggest names in the sport.

Over the past few weeks, we've covered the top off-ball linebackers, cornerbacks, edge rushers, and now we'll dive into running backs. Members of the FOX Sports NFL staff listed their 10 best in order heading into the 2024 season. A first-place vote merited 10 points in our methodology and descended from there, down to a single point for 10th place. We then combined the scores to determine our rankings. 

This year's cornerbacks list saw only four returning players from last year's rankings, with running backs being a similar story. Six players from our 2023 list made it again, with four new faces entering the picture.

For the first time this year, all seven writers unanimously voted on the top two players, with Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry going first and second in all seven ballots. 

The position is also filled with young talent, as five of the 10 are 25 or younger, with four of those players entering their second or third year.

We'll continue to roll out the best players at other positions between now and the start of the season. For now, here are the NFL's best running backs.

Eric D. Williams:Already the highest paid running back in the league, San Francisco sweetened the Stanford product's salary this offseason, signing him to a two-year, $38 million extension. The move was well worth it for the engine of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense. McCaffrey finished with an NFL-high 2,023 scrimmage yards and 21 total touchdowns, accounting for 30% of San Francisco’s offense last year.

McCaffrey has a unique blend of