30 best NFL running backs of the 21st century

27. Thomas Jones, 2000-2011
Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs

Thomas Jones is one of 31 players in the history of the league to break 10,000 yards rushing. Does that sound surprising? It sure surprised us. Thomas Jones has more career yards than Ricky Williams, Marshawn Lynch, Chris Johnson, and Earl Campbell. Jones is actually even higher on the list, ranking 26th all time with 10,591. 

Jones never found a home. He came into the league with an insane amount of hype. He was taken with the seventh-overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft after he was a Consensus All-American at the University of Virginia. The Arizona Cardinals wanted him to revamp their offense. He lasted three years there. He wasn’t good in any of them. Then he went to the Buccaneers, and he lasted just one year there. 

While the Bucs' opportunity wasn’t everything a seventh-overall pick could hope for, he was able to prove he could last an entire season. That proof saved his career, and it drove the Bears to give him a multi-year deal in free agency. After 948 yards in his first season in Chicago, he broke 1,000 yards five times in a row. 

Jones would eventually spend time with the Jets and Chiefs before his career was over. Despite his career numbers, Jones only made one Pro Bowl. He was never appreciated in his time, but the accumulation of stats means something.