Cleveland Browns: 15 best running backs of all-time
By Randy Gurzi
53. . RB. 2018-present. Nick Chubb. 14. player
Yes, he is a rookie and the season has yet to end, but Nick Chubb has been a fantastic running back this season for the Browns. Taken in the second round of the draft, there were questions about Chubb’s ability to ever make it as a pro just a few seasons prior.
As a freshman at the University of Georgia, Chubb broke out in 2014. He had 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Dawgs. They have had a long line of great running backs come through Athens, and Chubb looked primed to be mentioned as one of the best. Then after six games in 2015, he suffered a gruesome knee injury versus the SEC East rival Tennessee Volunteers. There were questions about how much of his burst he would lose.
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Chubb returned the following season and was a solid player with 1,130 yards and eight touchdowns. He could have gone pro then, and likely would have been a mid-round pick.
It would have been understandable for him to go as well since he was risking his chances to make money as an NFL player if he had another injury. Still, Chubb returned for one more year and it was a brilliant decision.
The senior ended up running for 1,345 yards and 15 touchdowns while re-establishing himself as one of the best young prospects in the draft.
In Cleveland, he ended up taking the starting job after general manager John Dorsey sent Carlos Hyde to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He became the first rookie running back since Trent Richardson to rush for 100 yards on the ground twice in the same season. Chubb even set a franchise record for the longest run when he ripped off 92 yards in Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons. He has been a star and a huge part of the team’s resurgence in 2018. It’s also not crazy to think he could be in the top-3 for Browns running backs by the time his career is over.