What a rush
There have been some greats -- even Hall of Famers -- chosen as the first running back in the NFL draft. There have also been several players who didn't pan out, whether due to injury or just not having the game to cut it in the pros.
1967: Clint Jones
Clint Jones played on one of the great college teams of all-time at Michigan State. He was the second pick in the draft by the Vikings. Jones' NFL career was ordinary as he rushed for 2,178 yards in seven six seasons, six with Minnesota.
1968: Larry Csonka
Larry Csonka starred and Syracuse and was the eighth overall pick by the Dolphins. He went on to have a Hall of Fame career with Miami.
1969: O.J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson won a Heisman at USC, was the first pick by the Bills, and became the first player to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season.
1970: Larry Stegent
Larry Stegent was taken eighth overall by the St. Louis Cardinals. A knee injury in his rookie preseason ruined his career.
1971: John Riggins
John Riggins exited Kansas for the Big Apple, drafted by the New York Jets. He played five seasons with the Jets and nine with Washington. The sixth player taken in the draft rushed for 11,352 yards and 104 touchdowns in a Hall of Fame career.
1972: Franco Harris
The Steelers took Franco Harris with the 13th pick in the draft out of Penn State. He played 12 seasons with Pittsburgh and one with Seattle. He rushed for 12,120 yards and 91 touchdowns. He caught nine TD passes, making it a nice, round 100 for his Hall of Fame career.
1973: Otis Armstrong
The Broncos drafted Otis Armstrong out of Purdue. He led the NFL in rushing in 194 with 1,407 yards, one of two seasons he cracked the 1,000-yard mark.
1974: Bo Matthews
Bo Matthews was a second overall pick out of Colorado by the Chargers. He rushed for 1,566 yards in eight seasons with three teams.
1975: Walter Payton
Walter Payton went to the Bears as the fourth pick out of Jackson State. Sweetness = greatness.
1976: Chuck Muncie
The third overall pick out of Cal by the Saints, Muncie played with New Orleans and San Diego. He rushed for 6,702 yards.
1977: Ricky Bell
Ricky Bell was a No. 1 overall pick by the Bucs out of USC. He died at the age of 29 of heart failure. In 1979, Bell rushed for 1,263 yards and seven touchdowns.
1978: Earl Campbell
The Houston Oilers took Earl Campbell out of Texas with the first overall pick. A powerhouse with speed, he became a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
1979: Ottis Anderson
The Cardinals used a first-round pick on Ottis Anderson out of Miami (FL). He rushed for 7,999 yards in red. He then played seven seasons for the Giants, gaining 2,274 yards on the ground.
1980: Billy Sims
A Heisman winner at Oklahoma, Billy Sims was a draft pick of the Lions in the first round. In a career cut short by injury, he rushed for 5,106 yards and 42 touchdowns in five seasons.
1981: George Rogers
Rogers starred at South Carolina and was the first overall pick. The second? Lawrence Taylor. Rogers led the lead in rushing as a rookie with 1,674 yards. He played four years with New Orleans and three with Washington, going over the 1,000-yard mark four times.
1982: Darrin Nelson
Darrin Nelson was drafted seventh overall out of Stanford by the Vikings. He rushed for 4,442 yards in 11 seasons, most with Minnesota.
1983: Eric Dickerson
Eric Dickerson went from SMU to the LA Rams as the second pick in the draft. He also played for the Colts, excelling there, and with Atlanta and the Raiders. The Hall of Famer rushed for 13,259 yards and 90 touchdowns.
1984: Greg Bell
Greg Bell played college ball at Notre Dame and was the 26th overall pick by the Bills. He spent four years in Buffalo, three with the Rams and one with the Raiders. Bell totaled 4,959 rushing yards. His long run of 85 yards came as a rookie.
1985: George Adams
The Giants drafted George Adams out of Kentucky with the 19th overall pick. His best season was his rookie campaign when he rushed for 498 yards.
1986: Bo Jackson
The Bucs drafted Bo Jackson first overall. He did not sign with them and went on to play three-plus years with the Raiders. A great.
1987: Alonzo Highsmith
Alonzo Highsmith played college ball at Miami. The Oilers drafted him third overall and he never lived up to being that high a selection.
1988: Gaston Green
Gaston Green went from UCLA to the Rams as the 14th overall pick. His best season came in 1991 when he rushed for 1,037 yards as a Bronco.
1989: Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders went from Oklahoma State to the Detroit Lions. A brilliant pick as Sanders rushed for 15,269 yard and 99 touchdowns in 10 seasons.
1990: Blair Thomas
Blair Thomas played college ball at Penn State and was unable to deliver what the Jets hoped for when choosing him second overall.
1991: Leonard Russell
Leonard Russell was a 14th overall selection by the Patriots. He rushed for 1,088 of his career 3,973 yards in 1993.
1992: Tommy Vardell
Tommy Vardell was chosen ninth overall by the Browns out of Stanford. His second season saw him rush for 644 yards. That would be the highlight year of his career.
1993: Garrison Hearst
Georgia's Garrison Hearst was a third overall pick by the Cardinals. He missed the 1999 and 2000 seasons due to injuries. Hearst did have four 1,000-yard campaigns in his career.
1994: Marshall Faulk
Marshall Faulk went from San Diego State to the Colts in the first round. He could run with the ball and catch it. Faulk had seven 1,000-yard seasons in the NFL.
1995: Ki-Jana Carter
The Bengals drafted Carter No. 1 overall out of Penn State. Knee injuries ruined his career.
1996: Lawrence Phillips
The Rams drafted Phillips sixth overall out of Nebraska. He was trouble there and trouble in the NFL. Phillips eventually was killed in prison.
1997: Warrick Dunn
Dunn went 12th overall to Tampa Bay out of Florida State. He wound up 10.967 yards on the ground, splitting 12 seasons between the Bucs and Falcons.
1998: Curtis Enis
The Bears drafted Curtis Enis out of Penn State with the fifth overall pick. His 1999 season with 916 yards was his best. He exited the NFL in 2000.
1999: Edgerrin James
A Hall of Fame selection out of Miami (FL), James was a great running back. He led the league in rushing in each of his first two seasons, totaling more than 3,200 yards.
2000: Jamal Lewis
The fifth overall pick out of Tennessee by the Ravens, Lewis rushed for 2,066 yards in 2003. He also had consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2006-08.
2001: LaDainian Tomlinson
The Chargers grabbed Tomlinson out of TCU and wound up with a Hall-of-Fame RB.
2002: William Green
The Browns drafted Green out of Boston College. He was dependable in his first three seasons, rushing for a total of more than 2,000 yards.
2003: Willis McGahee
Willis McGahee overcame all sorts of knee injuries at Miami to be a first-round pick of the Bills, 23rd overall. He was a two-time Pro Bowler.
2004: Steven Jackson
The 24th overall pick out of Oregon State by the Rams, Jackson spent nine seasons with St. Louis. Overall, he played 12 seasons and ran for 11,438 yards. A great pick.
2005: Ronnie Brown
The second overall pick by the Dolphins out of Auburn, Ronnie Brown ran for 5,391 yards in 10 seasons.
2006: Reggie Bush
(Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports)
Reggie Bush had a spectacular career out of USC. He went second overall to the Saints and had a good but not great run in the NFL.
2007: Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson came to the Vikings out of Oklahoma. He is fifth on the all-time rushing list with 14,918 yards.
2008: Darren McFadden
Arkanas' McFadden was the fourth overall pick by the Raiders. He was with Oakland for seven seasons, rushing for 5,421 yards. His career ended with three seasons as a Cowboy.
2009: Knowshon Moreno
Drafted out of Georgia, Moreno was the 12th overall pick. His career was hampered by injuries. He did rush for 3,468 yards in five seasons as a Bronco.
2010: C.J. Spiller
Spiller was a versatile back out of Clemson drafted by the Bills. He spent five seasons with Buffalo before moving around to four other teams.
2011: Mark Ingram
Ingram won the Heisman at Alabama. He was the 28th overall pick by the Saints. He played 12 seasons and rushed for 8,111 yards.
2012: Trent Richardson
Richardson went to the Browns third overall out of Alabama. He had a great rookie season, was traded to the Colts in 2013 and the career fell apart after that.
2013: Giovani Bernard
He was the 37th pick out of North Carolina, going in the second round to the Bengals. Bernard had a 10-year career accounting for more than 6,800 yards rushing and receiving. He also scored 36 touchdowns.
2014: Bishop Sankley
Sankey was taken 54th overall by the Titans. He was out of the NFL after 2015.
2015: Todd Gurley
Todd Gurley had a career cut short by injury. But what a career it was. He was the 10th pick by the Rams out of Georgia and rushed for more than 1,000 yards three times. Gurley led the NFL in touchdowns in 2017 and '18, scoring a combined 30 on the ground in those seasons. He also caught passes for more than 1,300 yards in those two seasons.
2016: Ezekiel Elliott
Ezekiel Elliott was a fourth overall pick out of Ohio State by the Cowboys. He rushed for more than 8,200 yards in seven seasons with Dallas, leading the NFL twce.
2017: Leonard Fournette
The Jaguars thought they had a franchise running back when they took Fournette fourth overall. It did not pan out that way for Jacksonville. He is a free agent after playing for three teams already.
2018: Saquon Barkley
(Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports)
The Giants grabbed Saquon Barkley in the first round out of Penn State. He appeared to be generational before being struck by a couple of season-ending injuries. He had a strong season in 2023 but left the Giants this offseason for the Eagles.
2019: Josh Jacobs
Josh Jacobs came to the Raiders from Alabama in the first round. He led the NFL in rushing in 2022 with 1,653 yards. Jacobs left Las Vegas this offseason for Green Bay.
2020: Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Clyde Edwards-Helaire went to the Chiefs as the No. 32 pick at the end of the first round. His career has been up and down due to injuries and inconsistency. His best year was his rookie season when he rushed for 803 yards.
2021: Najee Harris
Najee Harris came to the Steelers in the first round out of Alabama. He has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his three seasons.
2022: Breece Hall
Breece Hall went in the second round -- 36th overall to the Jets. A great rookie season was disrupted by injury. He returned in 2023 and rushed for 994 yards and caught passes for 591. A wonderful pick by Gang Green.
2023: Bijan Robinson
The Falcons drafted Robinson in the first round out of Texas. He delivered a strong rookie season with 976 rushing yards and 487 receiving. He accounted for eight touchdowns.
2024: Jonathon Brooks
Another Texas Longhorns running back was the first selected in 2024, with Jonathon Brooks going in the second round (46th overall) to the Carolina Panthers.
This article originally appeared on List Wire: First running back chosen in every NFL draft in the Super Bowl era