25 best NFL running backs of the 21st century

There have been some elite running backs since the turn of the century, and here, we take a look at the top-25 across the last 20-plus years.

Throughout the history of the NFL, we have seen elite running backs in every decade, guys who could put the team on their backs with the game on the line. Since the turn of the century, the NFL has been blessed with players at the position who helped grow the game to new heights, and while quarterbacks get a lot of the love, it is these players who grind it out week in and week out.

Here, we take a look at the top-25 NFL running backs of the 21st century.

25 best NFL running backs of the 21st century

It is not often that an undrafted player comes along and takes the league by storm, but that is exactly what Priest Holmes did during his NFL career. A star for the University of Texas, Holmes would get his start in Baltimore, where he was the No. 2 running back behind Jamal Lewis when the Ravens made their run to the Super Bowl.

However, it was his work once he left Charm City that lands him on this list, as he became an elite player for the Kansas City Chiefs. Holmes ran wild as soon as he got to the Chiefs, leading the league in rushing in 2001, and then scoring 21 touchdowns the following season. During that 2002 campaign, he was named AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, setting the stage for an even more dominant 2003 season.

In 2003, Holmes racked up an NFL record 27 touchdowns, joining Emmitt Smith as the only players in league history to post back-to-back 20 touchdowns season. Injuries would slow him down late in his career, but he still finished with three first-team All-Pro nods, three straight Pro Bowl bids, and multiple Kansas City Chiefs records, a franchise that put him in their Hall of Fame.