Las Vegas Raiders RB Josh Jacobs

NFL Players Vote Revealed on Top-5 Running Backs in the League

The best person to ask who the best players in the NFL are is someone who actually plays with and against them. That’s what makes something like the NFL Players Association’s All-Pro Team such an interesting vote to dissect, especially when it came to running back.

For the players, Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders was the RB1 of the 2022 NFL season. From there, he joined four other backfield stars, including a fascinating inclusion from the Dallas Cowboys.

  1. Josh Jacobs – Las Vegas Raiders
  2. Nick Chubb – Cleveland Browns
  3. Tony Pollard – Dallas Cowboys
  4. Christian McCaffrey – San Francisco 49ers
  5. Saquon Barkley – New York Giants

Jacobs more than earned this top spot with a league-leading 1,653 yards to go with 12 touchdowns. Chubb, Pollard, McCaffrey, and Barkley all also finished with over 1,000 yards on the ground and all but McCaffrey finishing Top-10 in rushing touchdowns.

Pollard was an interesting inclusion as part of the running combo in Dallas alongside Ezekiel Elliott. However, while Elliott may have more name recognition, Pollard finished with 131 more yards and four more touchdowns on 38 fewer touches.

This vote has a cut-off for players who had missed five or more games entering Week 15. Even so, some major names didn’t make the cut, injury or not, because of how stacked the position is. That list of ‘snubs’ include stars like Derrick Henry, Austin Ekeler, Jonathan Taylor, Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara, and Joe Mixon.

It says a lot that these are the five that the NFL players themselves selected as the best backs in the league this season. It’s quite the feather in each of their caps as they all now prepare for next season.

NFL Players Vote Revealed on Top-5 Wide Receivers in the League

The NFLPA recently revealed the first Players’ All-Pro Team, an All-Pro team voted on by the players. Through that voting process, the top five players at every position was also revealed based on the player’s votes. The wide receiver position is one of the most coveted and talented in the NFL. Here’s who the players believe are the five best in the game right now.

5. AJ Brown

AJ Brown burst onto the scene in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles. He notched career highs in targets, receptions, and receiving yards this season, finishing the year with 88 grabs for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns. He became Jalen Hurts’ go-to guy this past year, and capitalized on his touches by making big plays week in and week out. His 17 yards per catch ranked fourth in the NFL, and only one other player in the top 10 had more receptions.

4. Tyreek Hill

Tyreek Hill was also the beneficiary of a new team this season. Hill was traded to the Miami Dolphins from the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason, a move that many questioned leaving such a successful tenure in KC’s offense. Despite this, he achieved career highs in receptions and receiving yards this season, ending the year with 119 catches, 1,710 yards, and 7 touchdown catches. He ended the season ranked second in the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, yards per game, and 20+ yard receiving plays.

3. Stefon Diggs

Per usual, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs continued to give defensive backs fits this season. He had a career-high 11 touchdown receptions this season, while also hauling in 108 catches for 1,429 yards. He had one of the most impressive three-game stretches of the season for a wideout. In weeks 5 and 6 and following their bye week in week 7, he had 24 catches for 385 yards and three touchdowns, proving once again he’s one of the hardest players to cover in the NFL.

2. Davante Adams

Davante Adams also had a new home this season, but his production didn’t change. In year one with Las Vegas, he became the focal point of their offense, receiving a career-high 180 targets. He led the NFL in receiving touchdowns with 14, while also recording 1,516 yards on 100 catches. His quarterback Derek Carr is expected to find a new home this offseason. It will be his third straight season playing with a new quarterback, will his production be impacted?

1. Justin Jefferson

It’s hard to argue against Justin Jefferson taking the belt this season as the league’s best wide receiver. In his third year in the league he took a massive leap. Jefferson led the league in targets, receptions, receiving yards, receiving yards per game, and 20+ yard receiving plays. He ended the season with 128 catches, 1,809 yards, and eight receiving touchdowns, also leading all wide receivers in YAC. He was a First Team All-Pro selection with six 10-plus catch games and 10 games with over 100 receiving yards, establishing himself as the league’s best at the position.

,