This offseason I am taking a position-by-position look at the best NFL draft values of the millennium: In short, which teams received the most bang for their draft-pick buck?
Higher draft picks were not dismissed for this exercise, but I tended to side with the highest-achieving lower selections. Extra weight was also given to longevity and the value those players provided for the teams that drafted them.
The old adage that you can wait for running backs in the draft might require some revision; it's far less true if you're hoping for a special back. The best performers of the past quarter century were largely Day 1 and 2 picks, making this exercise a bit tougher. But in the end, I had enough quality candidates who fell outside of Round 1 to cultivate a quality value list.
Drafted: Round 3 (No. 65 overall), 2005.
Former 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan has said Gore was his favorite draft pick ever, and it's not hard to see why. The 2005 class represented an era when backs were still considered potential top picks, as three (Ronnie Brown, Cedric Benson and Cadillac Williams) were selected in the draft's first five overall selections. Yet, as the first pick of Round 3 that year, Gore found a way to match -- and in some cases, surpass -- those three backs' combined career NFL production.
Gore remained remarkably dependable and productive well into his late 30s, but he was at his best during his decade-long stint with the Niners. His relentless power, vision and grit made him a fan and teammate favorite, as did his quiet demeanor off the field. Gore put together a Hall of Fame-worthy career, with 16,000 rushing yards (third all time) and 19,985 yards from scrimmage (fourth all time), and he's an easy inclusion in this vaunted fraternity.
Drafted: Round 2 (No. 45 overall), 2016.
Henry initially had his share of doubters, as a king-sized back seemingly from an era of the game's past, thrust into a league that was obsessed with throwing the football. But he forged his way into becoming one of the NFL's elite backs, blessed with rare power, size and good durability, but also the kind of sweet feet you rarely see in a 247-pound frame.
With 11,423 rushing yards and 106 rushing touchdowns, Henry has already secured his place among the game's best backs ever, in any era. After working in a timeshare his first two seasons, Henry established himself as one of the great lead backs in modern football, helping revive a dormant Titans franchise, then giving the Ravens a boost in his first season in Baltimore in 2024.
Henry might not possess the receiving chops of some of his colleagues, but his value is above reproach; he's led the NFL in rushing yards twice (2019 and 2020), including a 2,027-yard season in 2020, when he earned the Offensive Player of the Year award. He's also thrown four TD passes in his illustrious career, making him one of the game's true unicorns.
Drafted: Round 2 (No. 53), 2009.
McCoy was the fourth back taken in 2009 behind three first-rounders: Knowshon Moreno, Donald Brown and Beanie Wells. Combine those three backs' career NFL rushing (8,916 yards) and receiving (2,768 yards) totals, and they still don't touch what McCoy did in his career. A decent chunk of McCoy's production occurred in Buffalo after he was dealt there, and the Eagles might not have maximized his trade value (with the return being 11 games of Kiko Alonso), but McCoy's prime years were the first six he spent in Philadelphia.
McCoy amassed 11,102 rushing yards (23rd all time), plus 518 receptions for 3,898 yards and 89 total touchdowns, earning six Pro Bowls and two first-team All-Pro honors. He wasn't quite as consistent as some of the other members of this list, but he racked up some monster seasons in 2011 (when he put up a league-best 20 total TDs) and 2013 (when he logged 1,607 rushing yards and 2,146 yards from scrimmage) that rivaled the best showings from some of the elite backs of his day.
Drafted: Round 3 (No. 67 overall), 2017.
Kamara has yet to hit the 1,000-yard rushing mark in any season, but he's still been one of the league's most consistent producers over his eight-year career. Averaging 100.4 yards from scrimmage per game, Kamara is one of the great two-way threats in the backfield; he's logged four seasons with 80-plus receptions, with a total of 573 catches so far. While injuries have crept up in recent years, he's still been relatively dependable from a health standpoint overall, appearing in at least 13 games each season.
The 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year and a five-time Pro Bowler, Kamara also has been a big touchdown producer, scoring 85 in his career, including an NFL-best 21 in 2020. Would you believe he's also tied with Marshall Faulk as the NFL record holder in two-point conversions (seven)? Kamara also was an effective returner early on, averaging 31.5 yards per kickoff return in his first two seasons and serving as the Saints' lead punt returner in 2018.
Kamara emerged from one of the best RB draft classes in recent years to put up elite numbers. Thus, he's a shoo-in here.
Drafted: Round 2 (No. 44 overall), 2008.
Forte was named to just two Pro Bowls in his decade-long career, but he was a model of consistency after the Bears plucked him mid-second round. The versatile back was a steady producer, averaging 106 yards from scrimmage per game in his 120 starts with Chicago, equally adept as a runner and a receiver.
Forte ran for 1,238 yards as a rookie, the first of five 1,000-yard seasons, and logged six seasons with 51 or more receptions. He might have been overshadowed a bit in the Adrian Peterson-Marshawn Lynch era, and he only made the playoffs once (with Chicago in 2010) out of his eight seasons with the Bears and two with the Jets. But Forte's durability (he missed just eight games in his first eight seasons) and steadiness make him one of his generation's best all-around backs.
