Ranking every running back drafted with a top-five pick since 1980

Pick: No. 5 (1998)  

Teams played for: Chicago, Cleveland  

Stats: 456 carries, 1,497 yards, four TDs  

Lowdown: Knee injuries limited the Penn State star at the next level, and he never could get going after rushing for 916 yards and three TDs in his second season with the Bears.

Pick: No. 3 (1987)

Teams played for: Houston Oilers, Dallas, Tampa Bay

Stats: 283 carries, 1,195 yards, seven TDs

Lowdown: Highsmith played some fullback for the Oilers but didn't quite fit in the "Run and Shoot" offense. He also couldn't overcome a series of knee injuries that led to a shortened six-year career.

Pick: No. 1 (1995)

Teams played for: Cincinnati, Washington, New Orleans

Stats: 319 carries, 1,144 yards, 20 TDs

Lowdown: Carter suffered a serious knee injury in his first exhibition game with the Bengals. He scored 15 rushing TDs from 1996-97 with the Bengals before bouncing after seven NFL seasons. He's the last running back to be selected No. 1 in the NFL Draft.

Pick: No. 4 (1987)

Teams played for: Green Bay, Cleveland

Stats: 433 carries, 1,702 yards, 18 TDs

Lowdown: Fullwood was known for being part of a loaded backfield at Auburn with Bo Jackson and Tommie Agee, but he didn't quite adjust to the NFL. He did make the Pro Bowl in 1989 after rushing for 821 yards and five TDs, but he retired after the 1990 season.

Pick: No. 3 (2012)

Teams played for: Cleveland, Indianapolis

Stats: 614 carries, 2,032 yards, 17 TDs

Lowdown: Richardson rushed for 950 yards and 11 TDs as rookie, then was part of a blockbuster deal with the Colts in his second season. Richardson's career never took off. He's been on the practice squads of Oakland and Baltimore before a brief stint in the AAF in 2019.

Pick: No. 2 (1990)

Teams played for: New York Jets, New England, Dallas

Stats: 533 carries, 2,236 yards, seven TDs

Lowdown: Thomas had fleeting moments, including a memorable performance in place of Emmitt Smith in the 1994 NFC divisional playoffs, but he scored just seven career rushing TDs.

Pick: No. 5 (1980)

Teams played for: Baltimore Colts, Indianapolis, Cleveland

Stats: 937 carries, 4,019 yards, 32 TDs

Lowdown: Dickey rushed for 11 TDs as a rookie and had his best season with the Colts in 1983 with 1,122 yards and four TDs. That was the highlight of a seven-year career.

Pick: No. 1 (1986)

Teams: Tampa Bay, Los Angeles Raiders

Stats: 515 carries, 2,782 yards, 16 TDs

Lowdown: Jackson is tough to rank because, if not for a career-ending hip injury, it's not a stretch to think he could be ranked No. 1 on this list. Jackson never played for the Buccaneers, but he returned to the NFL with the Raiders and averaged 5.4 yards per carry over four seasons.

Pick: No. 4 (2017)

Team: Jacksonville Jaguars

Stats: 666 carries, 2,631 yards, 17 TDs

Lowdown: Fournette helped lead the Jaguars to the AFC championship game as a rookie, but he's battled injuries the last two seasons. He has a pair of 1,000-yard seasons, but that's come with just 17 TDs.

Pick: No. 5 (2005)

Teams played for: Tampa Bay, St. Louis

Stats: 1,055 carries, 4,038 yards, 21 TDs

Lowdown: Williams rushed for 1,178 yards and six TDs as rookie, but knee problems lingered over the next two seasons. Williams played through injuries to both knees, but he never hit 1,000 yards again.

Pick: No. 4 (2008)

Teams played for: Oakland, Dallas  

Stats: 1,302 carries, 5,421 yards, 28 TDs

Lowdown: The two-time Doak Walker Award winner has always had immense talent, but he has had trouble staying on the field throughout his career with the Raiders and Cowboys. McFadden had two 1,000-yard seasons over a 10-year career.

Pick: No. 2 (2005)

Teams played for: Miami, San Diego, Houston Texans, Philadelphia

Stats: 1,281 carries, 5,391 yards, 38 TDs

Lowdown: Brown rushed for 916 yards and 10 TDs as a rookie and enjoyed a solid 10-year career in the NFL. That included a 1,008-yard effort in his second season with Miami.

Pick: No. 4 (2005)  

Teams played for: Chicago, Cincinnati, Green Bay  

Stats: 1,600 carries, 6,017 yards, 32 TDs  

Lowdown: The early part of Benson's career was marred by off-the-field issues, but he developed into a strong inside bruiser for the Bengals. He had a run of three straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2009-11.

Pick: No. 1 (1980)

Team played for: Detroit

Stats: 1,131 carries, 5,106 yards, 42 TDs

Lowdown: The Heisman Trophy winner enjoyed back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with  13 TDs in each of his first two years, and added a third 1,000-yard season two years later. Sims' career was cut short by a devastating knee injury midway through the 1984 season, however. That ended what could have been a Hall-of-Fame career.

Pick: No. 3 (1993)

Teams played for: Phoenix/Arizona, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Denver

Stats: 1,692 carries, 7,966 yards, 30 TDs

Lowdown: Hearst struggled early in his career, but he enjoyed a breakthrough in San Francisco with 1,570 yards and seven TDs in 1998. Hearst was a two-time Pro Bowl selection with the 49ers.

Pick: No. 2 (2018)

Team played for: N.Y. Giants

Stats: 478 carries, 2,310 yards, 17 TDs

Lowdown: Barkley is yet another Penn State running back on this list, but he has lived up to expectations through two seasons. He has 143 catches and 1,159 receiving yards in that stretch with the Giants and is one of the most-versatile backs in the NFL. He will move up this list with each year.

Pick: No. 3 (1983)

Teams played for: Seattle, Los Angeles Rams

Stats: 1,698 carries, 6,844 yards, 56 TDs

Lowdown: Warner was selected after John Elway and Eric Dickerson in the legendary 1983 NFL Draft, and the Penn State star didn't disappoint with the Seahawks. He had four 1,000-yard seasons and hit the 1,400-yard mark twice over an eight-year NFL career.

Pick: No. 2 (2006)

Teams played for: New Orleans, Detroit, Miami, San Francisco, Buffalo

Stats: 1,286 carries, 5,490 yards, 36 TDs

Lowdown: Bush did help the Saints improve their win total by seven in his first season, and he added 477 catches for 3,598 yards out of the backfield. He never quite matched the hype coming out of USC, but he still had a productive NFL career.

MORE: Ranking every first-round QB since 2000

Pick: No. 1 (1981)

Teams played for: New Orleans, Washington

Stats: 1,692 carries, 7,176 yards, 54 TDs

Lowdown: Rogers led the NFL in rushing his rookie year with 1,674 yards on 378 carries, and he had four 1,000-yard seasons between stops with New Orleans and Washington. Rogers scored 31 TDs in three seasons with the Redskins.

Pick: No. 3 (1981)

Team played for: New York Jets

Stats: 1,798 carries, 8,074 yards, 38 TDs

Lowdown: McNeil is the quintessential back from the 1980s. He stayed with the Jets for his entire career, and he had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 1984 and 1985. He's the first back with more than 8,000 career rushing yards on this list. McNeil also had 2,961 receiving yards. He was that good.

Pick: No. 4 (2016)  

Team played for: Dallas 

Stats: 1,169 carries, 5,405 yards, 40 TDs   

Lowdown: Elliott missed a chunk of the 2017 season because of a suspension, the only blemish on what has been a fantastic four-year run. He has led NFL in rushing twice and yards per game three times. With three seasons with 300 or more carries, it's a question of how long he can keep this rolling.

Pick: No. 5 (1999)

Teams played for: New Orleans, Miami, Baltimore

Stats: 2,431 carries, 10,009 yards, 66 TDs

Lowdown: Williams' career path was interesting, to say the least. Mike Ditka traded almost an entire draft to get Williams in 1999, but Williams played just three seasons with the Saints. He rushed for 1,000 yards or more in consecutive seasons before retiring in 2004. Williams returned, but then was suspended for the entire 2006 season. He came back once more and rushed for 1,121 yards with Miami in 2009. That helped him crack the 10,000-yard mark for his career.

Pick: No. 5 (2000)

Teams played for: Baltimore, Cleveland

Stats: 2,542 attempts, 10,607 yards, 58 TDs

Lowdown: Lewis rushed for more than 1,000 yards in eight of his 10 NFL seasons, including a 2,066-yard effort with the Ravens in 2003. Lewis also set the single-game rushing record with 295 yards against the Browns in 2003, a record Adrian Peterson broke in 2007.

Pick: No. 4 (1999)

Teams played for: Indianapolis, Arizona, Seattle

Stats: 3,028 carries, 12,246 yards, 80 TDs

Lowdown: James and Peyton Manning should eventually join Marvin Harrison in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. James quietly produced prolific numbers during his career. He led the NFL in rushing his first two seasons; the second included 1,709 yards and 13 TDs. He also had five straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2003-07.

Pick: No. 2 (1994)

Teams played for: Indianapolis, St. Louis

Stats: 2,836 carries, 12,279 yards, 100 TDs

Lowdown: Faulk enjoyed an outstanding career between the Colts and Rams, one that included seven 1,000-yard seasons as a rusher and 6,875 yards and 36 TDs receiving. Faulk won MVP honors in 2000 and was the centerpiece of the "Greatest Show on Turf" along with Kurt Warner, though his best season might have been 1999 when he rushed for 1,381 yards and had 1,048 yards receiving.

Pick: No. 2 (1983)

Teams played for: Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis, Oakland, Atlanta

Stats: 2,996 carries, 13,259 yards, 90 TDs

Lowdown: Dickerson exploded onto the NFL scene. He led the NFL in rushing in 1983, then set the single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards in 1984. Dickerson also was part of the one of the biggest trades in NFL history when he was sent to Indianapolis. He led the NFL in rushing four times.

Pick: No. 5 (2001)  

Teams played for: San Diego, New York Jets 

Stats: 3,174 carries, 13,684 yards, 145 TDs  

Lowdown: Tomlinson put together a prolific career that started with eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with the Chargers. He led the NFL in rushing in 2006 and 2007 and was remarkably durable. Tomlinson added 4,772 receiving yards and 17 TDs and is part of the 2017 NFL Hall of Fame class.

Pick: No. 3 (1989)

Team played for: Detroit

Stats: 3,062 carries, 15,269 yards, 99 TDs

Lowdown: There aren't too many players in NFL history who were more exciting than Sanders, a Heisman Trophy winner whose one-of-a-kind-running-style immediately took the NFL by storm. Sanders rushed for 1,000 or more yards in each of his 10 NFL seasons, and he led the NFL in rushing four times. That included a 2,053-yard effort in 1997. Sanders ranks third all time in the NFL in rushing yards.