Nick Chubb ranked No. 1 RB in the NFL by coaches, scouts, and executives
Former Georgia running back Nick Chubb has worked his way to the top of the NFL running back heap. ESPN recently polled league coaches, scouts, and executives in search of the best players at every position. When it came to running back, Chubb did more than just make the top 10. He was voted No. 1
Chubb finally gets his due atop the rankings after an impressive five-year run in Cleveland.
Since entering the NFL in 2018, he has averaged 5.2 yards per rush, best in the NFL and the second-best mark in NFL history among players with at least 1,000 rushes, behind Jamaal Charles’ 5.4 clip. He also led the NFL in explosive rushing plays (23) in 2022.
“I’ve always loved his game,” an AFC executive said. “He can carry the load, strong, has vision, great feet, not outstanding in the passing game but can do it. Just a damn good player. Not a make-you-miss guy but has power and instincts.”
Chubb was No. 3 on this list a season ago. Christian McCaffery is No. 2 followed by Josh Jacobs at No. 3, Saquon Barkley at No. 4 and Derrick Henry in the fifth spot.
Chubb is another UGA legend tracking toward NFL greatness…
The Cedartown, Ga. native is one of just two players in Georgia history to rush for over 1,000 yards three times in his career. Herschel Walker is the only other player to accomplish that feat while donning the red and black.
Walker, in three years but with more carries, has 490 more career rushing yards than Chubb, who missed most of the 2015 season after a gruesome injury at Tennessee. That injury left him with three torn ligaments and cartilage damage.
The rest of that season was lost but Chubb was back for game one of the 2016 season where he carried the football 32 times for 222 yards and two touchdowns in a win over North Carolina in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff.
The Bulldogs got Chubb back for his senior season in 2017 and he was the leading rusher for a team that won its first SEC Championship since 2005. That Georgia rode Chubb and Sony Michel to a 13-2 overall record, its first appearance in the College Football Playoff, a win over Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl, and the National Championship.
Cleveland took Chubb with the No. 35 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and he has rewarded the franchise with 6,341 yards and 45 rushing touchdowns over five seasons. He has averaged 5.2 yards per carry in a Browns’ uniform while scoring four more times as a pass catcher.
After helping lead Cleveland to the playoffs in 2020, Chubb posted 145 total yards and a touchdown on 22 touches to lead the Browns to their first playoff win in 26 years.
