We continue our offseason comparison of players and position groups in the NFC West. Next up are the running backs.
There is one star, one potential star and others who could be pretty decent.
If you want to see our other rankings, here they are:
NFC West starting quarterbacks
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1. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
You might say that McCaffrey is also the best running back in the NFL.
He can do it all — run, catch and even throw the ball.
He rushed for 746 yards in 11 games for the Niners last season and caught 52 passes.
He is also in the best-schemed running game in the NFL. It’s almost unfair.
2. Ken Walker, Seattle Seahawks
Former Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said Walker was going to be a star.
He rushed for 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie in 15 games. He finished the regular season with three straight 100-yard games. He averaged 82.2 yards per game in his 11 starts.
3. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
Conner has three straight seasons of more than 700 yards. He had 782 last season and averaged 4.3 yards per attempt.
He also can make an impact in the passing game, as he caught 46 passes in 2022 as well.
His durability often comes into question, but he can carry an offensive load and likely will in 2023.
4. Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams
Akers had 786 yards last season and Rams head coach Sean McVay says he will have an important role in the offense in 2022, but some believe that he might not even be the starter. Kyren Williams could compete and the Rams brought back Sony Michel for the second time in three seasons.
Other guys to watch
These guys either are rookies or their exact roles and contributions are uncertain coming into the season.
- Elijah Mitchell, 49ers
- Tyrion Davis-Price, 49ers
- Zach Charbonnet, Seahawks
- Kyren Williams, Rams
- Sony Michel, Rams
- Keaontay Ingram, Cardinals
