Maurice Jones-Drew ranks Saquon Barkley outside of league’s five-best starting RBs

So if Saquon Barkley isn’t in the top five, who is? And to be fair to Jones-Drew, he does do a good ranking.

Christian McCaffrey, who is beginning his first full-season with the 49ers after the Panthers traded him to San Fran last fall, tops all backs. Coincidentally, he’s also the highest paid amongst all backs. That’s because he can do it all. As Jones-Drew noted, the 49ers offense “averaged eight points more per game with McCaffrey in the lineup. That’s a massive impact for one player who’s not a quarterback.”

Derrick Henry, the king, ranks second. And that’s where his rushing total (1.538 yards) ranked amongst all backs in 2022. The Titans, again, will make Henry, the former Alabama star, the focal point ot their offense. The Titans signed receiver DeAndre Hopkins this summer, so maybe the offense turns a bit more multi-dimensional. But Jones-Drew says “this offense will run through Henry until his production plummets, which I clearly don’t see happening in 2023. “

Cleveland’s Nick Chubb is on the list. And there’s reason to think he’ll be even better than last year when he gained 1,525 yards. Quarterback Deshaun Watson will be eligible the entire season, so you can at least call the Browns’ offense steady.

Austin Ekeler of the Chargers is No. 4 on the list. He was one of the running backs protesting for better pay this summer. Ekeler is a prolific scorer. After all, he scored 18 touchdowns in 2022, 15 of them on the ground, three via the air.

And Josh Jacobs is fifth. The Raiders star earned the rushing title last year with 1,653 yards. Similar to Saquon Barkley, the Raiders placed the franchise tag on Jacobs. But he didn’t sign the offer. As preseason nears it close, Jacobs also still is holding out.

If you’d like to check out the rest of the rankings, click it here. So, do you agree or disagree with where Saquon Barkley ranks?