Now that we've passed 4th of July, it's officially List SZN in the NFL. Training camps start in about three weeks (if you ignore the rookie stuff beforehand).
That's where lists come in handy. They're subjective and – most of the time – anonymous, which is basically, like, 85% of the internet already; they're a match made in heaven. They also help kill the time when you're standing in line at the grocery store, so I can't totally be mad at them.
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And sometimes they even confirm your priors! Take this latest one from ESPN, which sources a bunch of anonymous NFL scouts and execs in the hopes of figuring out who the top 10 running backs in football are this season.
If you can believe it, Saquon Barkley comes in at number one. That's honestly less important than where Josh Jacobs finishes. Don't ask me to explain why, it just is.
Josh Jacobs finishes just out of Top 5 in latest ESPN running back rankings
Based on voting, Jacobs' average ranking was sixth. His highest was third.
"Jacobs rewarded the faith with 1,329 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, returning to his 2023 form," writes ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "Jacobs is the lone NFL player to eclipse 1,000 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns in each year since 2019. He's one of four players in Packers history to produce 1,500 scrimmage yards and 15 rushing scores in a season, joining Aaron Jones, Ahman Green and Jim Taylor."
Things are looking up! You know when you rise one (1) spot in ESPN's anonymous poll of executives, things are going your way. It's nice to see that paying running backs isn't the death sentence it used to be, at least.
Reading how accomplished Jacobs has been since joining the Packers is kinda wild – it seems like maybe he's still not getting the credit he deserves? Maybe finally rising on this anonymous poll from random team executives will finally open people's eyes. Maybe.