Most Rushing Yards by Position in the NFL

As I mentioned in my last article, here is my highly sought-after writing on the Most Rushing Yards by Position in the NFL! Remember everyone, statmuse has season-level data only going back to the 1932 season, so we are technically going from 1932 to the current in the NFL. Thanks again to statmuse for the information!

As we all expected, leading all of the positions with the most rushing yards is the running backs, known for running the ball. To make things easier, fullbacks are included in the running back category. The running backs have 3,334,581 rushing yards on 831,957 carries, averaging 4 yards per carry for 23,444 rushing touchdowns. The running backs' stats blow out all the other position groups' stats except for the yards per carry category. The all-time leader in rushing yards by a running back goes to Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith, who had 18,355 rushing yards on 4,409 carries, giving an average of 4.2 yards per carry for a total of 164 rushing touchdowns. Emmitt Smith played 15 seasons for the Cowboys and Cardinals. He was selected to play in 8 Pro Bowls and won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, 1 MVP award, 1 Super Bowl MVP award, and three championships. Finally, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010.

Next, we have the quarterbacks in a position that makes sense, coming in second. A position that you only ever think of either handing off the ball or throwing it. In the past decade, many quarterbacks have been able to run the ball efficiently. The quarterbacks have 333,588 rushing yards on 87,166 carries, averaging 3.8 yards per carry for 3,725 rushing touchdowns. The all-time leader in rushing yards by a quarterback goes to the only Michael Vick, who had 6,109 running yards on 873 carries, giving an average of 7 yards per carry for 36 rushing touchdowns. Michael Vick played 13 seasons for four teams, including the Falcons and Eagles. He was selected to play in 4 Pro Bowls and won 1 Comeback Player of the Year award.

Following the quarterbacks, the wide receiver was another position you probably expected. A position known for catching the ball more than running it, they have been getting the chance to run it more often in the past decade. The wide receivers have 80,058 rushing yards on 14,007 carries, averaging 5.7 yards per carry for 414 rushing touchdowns. Surprisingly, the all-time leader in rushing yards by a wide receiver goes to Tavon Austin, who had 1,361 rushing yards on 199 carries, giving an average of 6.8 yards per carry for ten rushing touchdowns. Tavon Austin played nine seasons for four teams, including the Rams and Cowboys. He most recently played in the NFL last in 2021.

Going forward, all the following positions' stats will be significantly lower than the leading three positions. But fourth on our list is a position that I would not have thought would have been as high, the defensive back. The defensive backs have 10,961 rushing yards on 2,485 carries, averaging 4.4 yards per carry for 76 rushing touchdowns. The all-time leader in rushing yards by a defensive back goes to Don Paul, who had 469 rushing yards on 73 carries, giving an average of 6.4 yards per carry for three rushing touchdowns. Don Paul played nine seasons for the Browns and Cardinals throughout the 1950s. He played but didn't record a tackle in his nine seasons. Finally, he was selected to play in 4 Pro Bowls, won 2 championships, and had 34 career interceptions.

The tight ends have 8,000 rushing yards on 1,752 carries, averaging 4.6 yards per carry for 95 rushing touchdowns. Rod Bernstine played nine seasons for the Chargers and Broncos throughout the late 1980s and 1990s.

Coming in at the number six spot on our list, we finally get to talk about the most goated position in football, the punter! The punters have 3,013 rushing yards on 1,020 carries, giving an average of 3 yards per carry for 15 rushing touchdowns. The all-time leader in rushing yards by a punter goes to Tom Yewcic, who had 215 rushing yards on 33 carries, giving an average of 6.5 yards per carry for a total of 2 rushing touchdowns. Tom Yewcic played six seasons for the Patriots through the early 1960s. He had an average of 38.6 yards per punt.

Coming in at the number seven spot, we have another defensive position finally, the linebackers. The linebackers have 2,406 rushing yards on 570 carries, averaging 4.2 yards per carry for 20 rushing touchdowns. The all-time leader in rushing yards by a linebacker goes to Tank Younger (an excellent name for a linebacker), who had 582 rushing yards on 107 carries, giving an average of 5.4 yards per carry for a total of 4 rushing touchdowns. Tank Younger played ten seasons for the Rams and Steelers from the late 1940s to the 1950s. Finally, he was selected to play in 4 Pro Bowls and won 1 championship.

The number eight spot on our list goes to the other fellas who kick footballs, the kickers! The kickers have 798 rushing yards on 219 carries, giving an average of 3.6 yards per carry for 12 rushing touchdowns. The all-time leader in rushing yards by a kicker goes to Fred Cone, who had 236 rushing yards on 61 carries, giving an average of 3.9 yards per carry for a total of 2 rushing touchdowns. Fred Cone played eight seasons for the Packers and Cowboys throughout the early 1950s and 1960s. If this name sounds familiar, Fred Cone was in my last article because he is also the all-time leader in receiving yards for a kicker!

The big offensive boys take the number nine spot, the offensive linemen! I was getting a little worried that we would never see any of the large boys on the list! The offensive linemen have 555 rushing yards on 128 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per carry, for five rushing touchdowns. The all-time leader in rushing yards by an offensive lineman goes to one of the most notable offensive linemen in NFL history, Bronko Nagurski, who had 84 rushing yards on 16 carries, giving an average of 5.3 yards per carry for a total of 1 rushing touchdown. Bronko Nagurski played nine seasons for the Bears from the early 1930s to the early 1940s. He won 3 championships and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1963.

Last but certainly not least, coming in at the number ten spot on our list, the big defensive boys, the defensive linemen. In total, the defensive linemen have 95 rushing yards on 41 carries, averaging 2.3 yards per carry for 11 rushing touchdowns. The all-time leader in rushing yards by a defensive lineman goes to Jim Doran, who had 59 rushing yards on three carries, giving an average of 19.7 yards per carry for a total of 0 rushing touchdowns (which is very sad). Jim Doran played 11 seasons for the Lions and Cowboys throughout the early 1950s and 1960s. Finally, he was selected to play in 1 Pro Bowls and won 3 championships.

I hope you enjoyed the second article in the “Most _____ by Position in the NFL!” series. I introduced some new players, and we saw a play discussed in the last article! I’m not sure if I’ll make another article in this series next or something else, so feel free to let me know what I should write about next. Thank you for reading!