Kareem Hunt Dion Lewis among 10 most elusive running backs

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Kareem Hunt, Dion Lewis among 10 most elusive running backs Published: Feb 07, 2018 at 02:58 AM Matt Harmon An exceptional running back cla s in the 2017 added a bevy of new faces to an a sembly of skilled young ball-carriers already in the league. With the talent pool at the position becoming more impre sive by the year, dazzling runs were broken off with stunning regularity in the 2017 season. Ankles were ruined, jukes were delivered and stiff-arms were doled out at breakneck pace each week. Here, we'll attempt to measure which running backs created the most yardage on their own rather than just taking what's blocked for them. One of the Next Gen Stats metrics we deploy using the tracking data from the chips placed inside each player's shoulder pads is "average yards gained after defenders close within 1 yard" for running backs. This data point correlates with for yards after contact and elusivene s. The Next Gen Stats help reveal which backs are gaining extra yardage after opposing defenders close in on them, whether via broken tackles, evasion or other elusive moves. In this ranking, we'll look at the top 10 running backs in "yards gained after close" among players with 175 or more carries on the season. With so many split backfields in the NFL today, we set the threshold here to help quantify the ability of some of the league's lead backs who held down top roles throughout most of the season. For players who excelled in this metric but fell below that minimum threshold, see the "bonus notes" section below. For context throughout the list, the league average for YGAC is 3.66 yards among all running backs. Note: Apparent ties on this list are due to averages being rounded up to the nearest hundredth. The higher-ranked back in those cases gained slightly more per carry. **YGAC:** 4.63. Hunt with authority in his first game as an NFL player, dropping 246 total yards (148 rushing, 98 receiving) and three total touchdowns (one rushing, two receiving) on the . The rookie showed he was no one-game fluke by going on to . Particularly during Jake Muzzin Jersey his dominant stretches to begin and close the season, Hunt was a true challenge to tackle for opposing defenders. He averaged 4.63 yards after defenders closed within 1 yard of him this season, leading all backs with 175-plus carries. If any running back personifies the term "elusive," it's . **YGAC:** 4.44. The veteran seized control of the ' starting running back job around midseason and went on to post career highs in carries (180), rushing yards (896) and total touchdowns (nine). In 2015, Lewis flashed special ability as a satellite pa s-catching weapon before ended his first season with the prematurely. This year's iteration of Lewis was more of a steady early-down runner, routinely making the first defender mi s, and he played a full 16-game season. Despite checking in at 5-foot-8 and 195 pounds, Lewis averaged 4.8 yards per carry on his inside runs this year. He is truly one of the best pure runners in the NFL. Lewis will have no shortage of suitors in free agency this offseason if he doesn't return to New England. **YGAC:** 4.09. In 2017, the ' play-callers rolled with as the lead back, even though he appeared to have lost a step and . All the while, Henry shined in a complementary role. At 6-3 and 247 pounds, Henry is one of the more unique specimens at the position, combining elusivene s with his hulking frame. With Tenne see its coaching staff at the end of the season, and with the team this offseason, Henry could conceivably sit atop the depth chart as the feature back in 2018, provided believes in him. If he is a full-time starter next year, finding consistency will be key to unlocking a breakout season. Henry decisively cleared 3.7 yards gained after close in five games, but he fell under that mark in all the others. **YGAC:** 4.06. Howard followed up his excellent rookie season with yet another 1,000-yard rushing campaign in 2017. He's a tough back to bring down when he gets rolling. Howard gained an average of 4.06 yards after defenders closed within 1 yard of him. He was also a top performer in this metric in 2016, as his 4.64 yards gained after close ranked first among backs with over 175 carries. The hired former offensive coordinator Matt Nagy to take over as their head coach this offseason. While Howard doesn't come with the receiving chops of some of the backs featured in Nagy's Kansas City offenses, Chicago's new coach will no doubt look to keep the bruising Howard in place as the scoring attack's identity. **YGAC:** 4.04. became the talk of the town while putting together a campaign worthy of Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. That Scott Wedgewood Men Jersey should not take away from the utterly fantastic season offered up by Kamara's veteran teammate. Ingram enjoyed a career year, with 1,124 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. The former first-round pick has quietly been one of the best backs in the league for the last several seasons. He was a top-five performer in this metric last season, as well, averaging 4.41 yards gained after defenders closed within 1 yard of him in 2016. At age 28, Ingram looks as fresh as ever coming off an excellent 2017. </content:power-ranking> **YGAC:** 4.0. Elliott's 2017 was tumultuous off the field, and from a production standpoint on the field, he wasn't quite as dominant as he was as a rookie in 2016. However, Elliott didn't see much of a drop-off as a pure runner, especially when he got into a groove after the first few weeks of the season. As a rookie, Elliott averaged 4.4 yards after defenders closed within 1 yard of him, and he made a repeat appearance in the top 10 in 2017, with an even 4.0 average. The bigger i sue for the ' run game lay with turnover and injuries on the offensive line. Elliott averaged 0.6 yards gained before defenders closed within a yard in 2016, but fell to 0.06 this season. (The NFL average is 0.29.) **YGAC:** 4.0. The apparently grew tired of Ajayi this season, -- and a road straight to the . Ajayi didn't have the eye-popping, headline-grabbing 200-yard games that marked his 2016 campaign, but he once again a strong pure runner, especially with the . He arrived in Philadelphia averaging 3.51 yards after close, ranking 21st at the time among running backs with 60-plus carries -- and he clawed his way into the top 10 by season's end, getting within range of his 2016 figure (4.41). Ajayi could be in line for another big year if he's fully integrated into Doug Pederson's offense next season. **YGAC:** 3.99. The were one of the most disappointing teams in 2017, and their supposedly talented offense was a primary culprit for the letdown. As such, , while a popular offseason storyline, amounted to a largely forgettable footnote. However, Lynch's 3.99 average yards gained after defenders closed within 1 yard of him shows he still has some juice left. Not surprisingly, considering he was retired in 2016, Lynch took a few months to heat up and got better as the year went on. Four of his five best performances, according to this metric, came after Week 8. If new head coach Jon Gruden can keep the competitive in more games next season, the team could feature Lynch more. The veteran cleared 18 carries just three times all year. **YGAC:** 3.97. Gurley was perhaps the most improved player in the NFL in 2017. There's no question that a strengthened offensive ecosystem under rookie head coach Sean McVay and a retooled O-line were catalysts to a rebound season, but Gurley also just straight-up ran better in 2017. In the year prior, Gurley averaged a measly 3.25 yards gained after defenders closed within a yard of him, ranking second-to-last among backs with over 100 carries, but he leapt up to 3.97 this year. That was one of between the last two years. Gurley came off the first five weeks of 2017 averaging just 3.18 yards after close, but finished the year white hot. Truly elite backs not only survive handling a heavy workload but heat up as the season wears on. Gurley firmly established himself as a member of that camp this season. **YGAC:** 3.96. Even as the cycled from one insufficient quarterback option to another, Anderson turned in a career year, playing in 16 games for the first time in his five seasons as a pro and racking up 1,007 rushing yards. Anderson averaged 3.96 yards after defenders closed within a yard of him this year. When he's running hot, Anderson is one of the more difficult backs to bring down. The i sue for him has always been consistency. He'll go through stretches where he seems to disappear for one reason or another, and this deep into his career, that's just who we should expect him to be. With left on his deal and the team looking to retool its offense, the could move on from the veteran back. If so, his bowling-ball style would make him a fine addition to another team's backfield stable. BONUS NOTES: Alvin Kamara and Kenyan Drake fell below the 175-carry minimum to qualify for this list, but otherwise, they were star-level performers in this metric. Drake took over as Miami's feature back a few weeks after Ajayi was shipped out of town and instantly started tearing through defenses. The second-year back averaged 4.55 yards after defenders closed within 1 yard of him in 2017, proving to be tough for other teams to tackle. He will be a popular candidate to have a breakout season in 2018. Kamara was the most difficult back to bring down in the league this past year. He averaged 4.76 rushing yards gained after close, more than any other back with triple-digit carries. If he can maintain anything close to that level of rushing effectivene s, combined with his receiving prowe s, Kamara's potential is through the roof. Alex Collins was one the surprise players in the NFL this season, and he would rank 11th, behind Anderson on this list, with 3.91 average yards gained after defenders closed within 1 yard. The Seattle castoff nearly hit 1,000 yards with the and broke tackles at will in his second NFL season. Collins closed 2017 on a low note with fewer than 80 yards in each of his final three games, but he gave Baltimore's offense early in the year, when it was struggling to find one. Given that Le'Veon Bell is one of the three or four best backs in the NFL today, his absence from this list may come as a surprise. Bell has averaged 3.94 and 3.71 yards after defenders closed within 1 yard of him in each of the last two seasons. His unique running style may have something to do with his le s-than-elite marks in elusivene s. As is well-known, Bell spends more time behind the line of scrimmage than any other player, and Pittsburgh has adapted its entire offensive line to accommodate for that. As such, he doesn't nece sarily have to break close-quarter tackles at nearly the same rate as his peers, because he sets up his runs so far in advance. LeSean McCoy was one of the most elusive backs in the NFL in 2016, averaging 3.96 yards after defenders closed within 1 yard. While he still enjoyed a fine season, McCoy was far easier to bring down in 2017, with his YGAC falling to Tanner Pearson Jersey 3.29. That drop-off between the last two seasons was among backs with over 100 carries in both years. The ' offensive line deserves plenty of credit for keeping their run game going, as they allowed their backs to gain 0.69 yards before defenders closed within a yard, trailing only the . This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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