Pro Football Focus will be releasing a list of the top 101 NFL players from the 2010’s. From Monday to Thursday of this week, each section will feature roughly 20 players who have been ranked in order by production, efficiency and performance.
While PFF strives to do their best to vote on these particular players in terms of all positions created equal, playoffs and playing time will also factor in. Realistically, some talented players whose careers were overlapped between decades may appear lower on the list than others.
While only the back end of the list has been released thus far, a former Texas legend cracked the top 100. Running back Jamaal Charles was listed at No. 86, just before wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.
According to PFF, Charles’ speed and production over the last few seasons of his career were enough to land him on this prestigious list.
“One of the fastest running backs to play the game, Jamaal Charles had track speed that would break angles and statistics because of how difficult he was to hit, let alone tackle. Though the decade caught only the last few seasons of his career, the sample size for running backs is lower than it is for most positions. And even in those seasons, Charles averaged 5.3 yards per carry, 2.5 of which came after contact. He forced 157 missed tackles on 1,151 carries and generated a first down or touchdown on 26% of his carries.”
After being selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft, his career didn’t begin to take off until the tail end of the 2009 season. All it took was one game to remember his name. Against the Denver Broncos in Week 17, Charles rushed for 259 yards on 25 carries, breaking the Chiefs’ single-game rushing record.
He never looked back, racking up countless All-Pro seasons. Although Charles had brief stints with the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars beginning in 2017, he ultimately retired on May 1 of 2019 after signing a one-day contract with the Chiefs. To this day, Charles remains the Chiefs’ career leader in rushing yards.
As a true freshman at Texas, Charles saw playing time in all 13 games, including the BCS National Championship. However, it was his junior season that sticks out most.
Charles led the Big 12 Conference in total rushing yards (1,619) and total rushing touchdowns (18). It was impressive enough to forego his senior season and begin his professional career.
Keep an eye out on several other Longhorns to crack the list later this week.