most rushing yards emit smith

NFL Rush Leaders All-Time: Most Rushing Yards

This is a list of the all-time rush leaders in the NFL as of 2024. It’s worth noting that 15 of the 20 players listed have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the anticipation of players like Adrian Peterson and Frank Gore in the near future.

The closet active player to breaking the top 20 of rushing leaders is Derrick Henry who is currently sitting at around #35 with 9,502 rushing yards and counting. The devaluation of running backs in recent years and implementation of “running back by committee” may put the trajectory of future backs into question. Traditional “workhorse backs” are just not as popular as they use to be.

List of All-TIme Rushing Yards Leaders ( At least 10,000 yards)

RankPlayerYardsYears Active
1Emmet Smith 18,3551990-2004
2Walter Payton16,7261975-1987
3Frank Gore 16,0002005-2020
4Barry Sanders 15,2691989-1998
5Adrian Peterson14,9182007-2021
6Curtis Martin 14,1011995-2005
7LaDainian Tomlinson13,6842001-2011
8Jerome Bettis13,6621993-2005
9Eric Dickerson13,2591983-1993
10Tony Dorsett12,7391977-1988
11Jim Brown12,3121957-1965
12Marshall Faulk12,2791994-2005
13Edgerrin James12,2461999-2009
14Marcus Allen12,2431982-1997
15Franco Harris12,1201972-1984
16Thurman Thomas12,0741988-2000
17Fred Taylor11,6951998-2010
18Steven Jackson11,4382004-2015
19John Riggins11,3521971-1985
20Corey Dillion11,2411997-2006