- Derrick Henry shined on outside zone, power and trap plays: He earned elite 90.0-plus PFF rushing grades on all three run concepts this past season.
- Bucky Irving put together a rookie season to remember: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' lead back was the NFL's highest-graded player on counter and pull lead runs.
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Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
Inside Zone (min. 25 att)
1. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions (88.6)
Gibbs tallied only 38 inside-zone carries (26th) in 2024, but he ranked 11th in yards gained (267) and had the fourth-lowest stuff rate (7.9%). He rushed for 16 first downs and five touchdowns, generating a league best 42.1% first-down-plus-touchdown rate. He recorded nine rushes of 10-plus yards (tied for third most) and led the position in missed tackles forced (20) and yards gained after contact per attempt (3.9).
The second-year phenom gained 92 rushing yards on 22 inside-zone rushes in his rookie season, earning an 81.2 PFF rushing grade on those plays. He has recorded the fourth-fewest inside-zone carries over the past two seasons (60) but leads all running backs with a 90.6 inside-zone PFF rushing grade over that span.
2. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons (85.0)
3. Jeremy McNichols, Washington Commanders (82.6)
Outside Zone (min. 25 att)
1. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens (91.9)
This marks the first of several entries for the soon-to-be 31-year-old. Henry turned 131 outside-zone rushes into 933 yards last season — the most yardage he’s gained on such plays since 2020. Henry scored twice and gained 28 first downs (fifth most). He ranked in the top two in yards gained before (435) and after contact (498), averaging more than three yards per attempt in both categories. Henry recorded 22 explosive gains, forced 40 missed tackles (both second most) and recorded the third-best stuff rate (13.0%).
The former Tennessee Titan leads the league with 379 outside-zone rushes for 2,028 yards over the past three seasons. He also ranks first with 47 rushes of 10-plus yards. In that span, Henry has gained 72 first downs (tied for third most), forced 88 missed tackles (second most) and rushed for five touchdowns on those plays.
Highest-Graded Running Backs in 2024
2. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons (91.4)
3. Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks (91.0)
T-3. Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers (91.0)
Man (min. 25 att)
1. Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers (86.2)
Jacobs logged 346 yards on man rushes (third most) in his first season in Green Bay, gaining 27 first downs (second most) and leading the league with 10 touchdowns. Jacobs forced 13 missed tackles and ranked in the top five in explosive runs (six), yards gained before contact (100) and yards gained after contact (246).
Jacobs owns a league-best 90.8 man PFF rushing grade over the past three seasons and is one of two running backs (Kyren Williams) with more than 200 rushing attempts from the concept in that span (267). He tops all rushers in yards (1,248), touchdowns (21), missed tackles forced (49) and explosive runs (22) on such plays.
2. Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers (86.1)
3. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons (84.3)
Power (min. 15 att)
1. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens (90.0)
Henry saw his highest volume of power rushes since his second season in the league (59 carries in 2017) and earned a career-best 90.0 PFF rushing grade on those plays in 2024. He led the league in attempts (54), touchdowns (nine) and first downs (27), and gained 227 total rushing yards (second most). He finished second in missed tackles forced (six) and explosive runs (six) while ranking in the top three in yards gained before (73) and after contact (154).
Over the past three seasons, Henry places in the top five in PFF rushing grade on power runs (88.3), recording 97 rushes for 405 yards. He is the only running back to record double-digit touchdowns from power plays (11), and he also leads the league with 37 first downs. Some 76.3% of his yards have come after contact (fourth best), and he has the seventh-lowest stuff rate (16.5%) on such plays.
2. James Cook, Buffalo Bills (88.7)
3. Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars (85.4)
Counter (min 15 att)
1. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (92.6)
Irving is the only rookie running back to lead a category on this list. He took 32 counter rushes last season for 275 yards and eight first downs. He is one of two running backs (James Conner) to force at least 20 missed tackles, and he had seven gains of 10-plus yards. Irving set a single-season PFF record with 7.4 yards gained after contact per attempt on counter rushes. Some 86.2% of his rushing yards came after contact (second best).
Top Running Backs in Yards After Contact Per Attempt in 2024
2. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals (86.1)
3. Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (84.2)
T-3. Brian Robinson Jr., Washington Commanders (84.2)
Draw (min. 10 att)
1. Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys (84.3)
Dowdle recorded 13 draw attempts last season (second most) for a league-high 105 rushing yards. He gained three first downs, forced seven missed tackles and recorded four runs of 10-plus yards while averaging 6.6 yards after contact per attempt.
Dowdle has 18 career draw rushes, all within the past two seasons, for 131 yards. He has forced 11 missed tackles and earned a league-best 86.5 PFF rushing grade on those plays.
2. Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans (67.3)
3. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints (64.3)
Trap (min. 10 att)
1. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens (93.2)
Prior to 2024, Henry never recorded more than three trap carries in a season. He ran 13 times for 200 yards (most) and a touchdown in his first season in Baltimore, gaining seven first downs and recording six runs of 10-plus yards. Henry forced four missed tackles and averaged 11.8 yards before contact per attempt on trap runs, a PFF single-season record. He was one of two rushers (Bucky Irving) to post a 0.0% stuff rate.
2. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers (89.5)
3. Joe Mixon, Houston Texans (83.9)
Pull Lead (min. 15 att)
1. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (90.0)
Irving tied for the second-fewest pull-lead carries among qualifying running backs (16) but finished with the seventh-most yardage on such plays. He forced three missed tackles, recorded three runs of 10-plus yards and averaged 6.2 yards after contact per attempt, the fifth-highest single-season mark in the PFF era (since 2006). He was the only qualifying running back last season to record a 0.0% stuff rate.
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