In the latest in our power ranking articles, we look at the men behind the quarterback in the backfield and assess the NFL's top running backs for 2022.

There is no denying that the NFL is moving, or even has already moved, to being a more pass-happy league. Gone are the days where the running backs were the main bell-cow of a team and someone that your team had to focus on looking after.

Now that job falls on the quarterbacks and, looking at how the draft went this year in particular, the wide receivers. But that doesn't mean that a team can completely ignore the men behind them, as they offer a crucial second gear to change into to help dictate the pace of the game.

And if you do have that start man that you can rely on, then he can be equally as crucial in getting your team those extra wins and going deep into the playoffs.

But just who are the best in the league heading into the 2022 season? We at GiveMeSport have looked at the stats and looked at the tape to decipher who we think are the top ten backs to look out for as the season gets underway:

10 - Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

Now this prediction is predicated on the idea that he will be playing the full year in 2022 and that his legal issues will not prevent him from playing, that just needs to be mentioned before we move on.

The New Orleans Saints have certainly got plenty of weapons on offense; Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, Chris Olave and Marquez Callaway, but when it comes to a pure threat, there is arguably none bigger than Kamara who can be a force both on the ground and in the air. 

He is an injury risk, but if he can stay healthy then he could break his first 1,000 yard season this year behind an improved offensive line. 

9 - Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

In a team that is loaded with playmakers on both sides of the ball, and with Justin Herbert looking to take his next step forward as an elite quarterback in the league, you can’t forget what Ekeler brings to the table. 

It will be interesting to see what Sony Michel offers this team when he’s brought in, but if he allows Ekeler to get off the field and rest for a couple of snaps to be more explosive later on, then we could see him take a big step forward in his career with the Chargers and in the NFL as a whole. 

8 - D’Andre Swift, Detroit Lions

Swift is someone who is a little hard to nail down when it comes to analysing, as he has had to spend a lot of his career so far as part of a Lions squad that has been operating a ‘Running back by committee’ approach, which stunts his numbers and development.

This year though he looks set to take on more of a prominent role in the offense and make it more his own, so expect to see his numbers take a significant step forward this year and hopefully take the next step in becoming one of the preeminent threats out of the backfield in the league. 

7 - Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers 

Despite running behind one of the lowest-graded offensive lines in 2021, and for being a rookie in this league, Harris is someone who managed to look after himself incredibly well during his debut season, being the only rookie in the 2021 draft class to register over 1,000 yards at the position.

With a year under his belt, a rejigged offensive line and an improved offense that will require a lot of attention on the outside, there might be some more holes opening up for him in the open field that can see his numbers from last year take a step forward. 

6 - Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

Had to share a lot of the workload last year with the likes of D’Ernest Johnson and Kareem Hunt, but still managed to put up some incredible numbers and be one of the few bright sparks to come out of the team last year. 

It will be interesting to see how the offense will operate this year, starting off with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback and then transitioning to Deshaun Watson after his suspension, who you imagine the team would be more dedicated by when he returns, but if he remains the feature back for them, especially in the early games, another 1,000-yard season should certainly be achievable for him. 

5 - Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals 

Whilst a lot of the attention last season would have, quite rightly, surrounded the returning Joe Burrow at quarterback and the performances of JaMarr Chase at wide receiver as he won Offensive Rookie of the Year, Joe Mixon was someone who got on with his job and did incredibly well at it putting up over 1,000 yards for the third time in his career whilst also having a career-high 13 touchdowns.

The Bengals have upgraged their offensive line, primarily to help Burrow, but expect Mixon to get some benefit from it as well and look to maybe break both of last year’s numbers, 

4 - Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

Certainly has big shoes to fill when it comes to taking on the mantle of RB1 with the Vikings in the shadow of Adrian Peterson, but has made a great start to his life in Minnesota with his 3rd straight 1,000-yard rushing season in 2021 and it would take a  fool to think that, barring injury, he won’t be able to do the same again in 2022. 

Has seen his receiving production drop in the last three years, from 53 catches in 2019, to 44 in 2020 and 34 last year and could do with being more visible in that part of the offense, but don’t let that distract you from just how well he does on the ground. 

3 - Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers

When it comes to duel-threat players in the NFL, there are a number of players who are standing out in their field as being better than the rest at doing two jobs. Look at Lamar Jackson at quarterback for instance, or Deebo Samuel at wide receiver. When it comes to running backs though, there’s arguably none better than McCaffrey, who could transition to a wide receiver full time and still be incredibly effective.

Suffered some awful luck when it came to injuries last season, but after resting up should be ready to go in 2022. And in an offense that also possesses the speed of Baker Mayfield, the Panthers will be hard to keep up with this year, and McCaffrey can play a huge part in that. 

2 - Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

Every running back has had their speciality over the years. Le’Veon Bell for instance had his patience behind the line to wait for a hole to open up, whilst former Titans man Chris Johnson had the sheer speed that made him hard to keep up with. For Henry, it is pure brute strength that leave supposing defenders shaking.

He had a rough season last year, missing a large portion of it due to injury, and really hindered them in the postseason when you feel that a fully-fit Henry might have got them over the line rather than losing to the Bengals. That ending might give him more fuel for the year ahead and give him and extra boost to dominate the opposition even further.

1 - Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

When you look at a list like this, you have to go with the man who led the league in rushing and who did so by some distance, putting up more than 500 yards more than his next closest competitor, that being Nick Chubb. Was able to take a big step in terms of his rushing yards but also his touchdown production as he jumped from 11 to 18 and doubling his receiving touchdown count from 1 to 2. 

Expect him to be just as big a part of the offense this year as he was last year and giving Matt Ryan the perfect option to hand off to and take some strain off himself