KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Some general managers treat running backs like a second-rate position. They can’t wrap their heads around investing such a high draft choice in the position.
But times are changing in the NFL. Kenneth Walker just became the first running back to earn Super Bowl MVP since Terrell Davis 28 years ago. The year before, Saquon Barkley amassed the most rushing yards ever in a single season, including playoffs.
And what relates most to the Chiefs, as they contemplate taking Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love with the ninth-overall selection in April’s draft, is this: NFL teams have selected a running back with a top-12 selection on six occasions since 2017.
Running backs selected in top 12 since 2017
| Running back | Team | Year (Overall) | Super Bowls | First-Team All-Pro | Pro Bowls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leonard Fournette | JAC | 2017 (4) | 1 | ||
| Christian McCaffrey | CAR | 2017 (8) | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Saquon Barkley | NYG | 2018 (2) | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Bijan Robinson | ATL | 2023 (8) | 1 | 2 | |
| Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | 2023 (12) | 3 | ||
| Ashton Jeanty | LV | 2025 (6) |
Dynamic difference-makers
“When you look at guys like Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey,” former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum said this week on Get Up, “they are true, dynamic difference-makers — which I think Jeremiyah Love will be.
“He really can help Patrick Mahomes come back a little bit more slowly. So, I know typically at running back, we don’t pay him, but I think this guy’s an exception.”
He’s an exception because he’s exceptional. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry over his last two seasons at Notre Dame. He registered 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns on 163 carries in 2024, and 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on 199 attempts in 2025.
Love, a 6-0, 214-pound athlete, also proved dynamic in the passing game, finishing with 594 yards and six touchdowns on 63 career receptions. He averaged 10.4 yards per catch in 2025, when he finished third in the Heisman voting.
While Love certainly belongs on that list of backs drafted in the top 12, none of those six so far have made Super Bowls with the teams that drafted them. However, each of the three running backs who reached Super Bowls with other clubs did so opposite the Chiefs.
Jacksonville actually released Fournette just before his fourth NFL season. Tampa Bay signed him a week later, used him sparingly during the season, then watched him rack up 300 yards and three touchdowns on 64 postseason carries. The Buccaneers beat the Chiefs 30-9 that season in Super Bowl 55.
Carolina sent McCaffrey to San Francisco in an October 2022 blockbuster. A year later, McCaffrey nearly led the 49ers to a Super Bowl victory over the Chiefs.
And the Giants allowed Barkley to leave in free agency in 2024. He signed with division-rival Philadelphia and enjoyed the best year of his life, punctuated by a 40-22 win over the Chiefs in Super Bowl 59.
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