New York Jets’ Breece Hall can prove RB rankings wrong in Week 1 | Sporting News

There’s Christian McCaffrey. Then, there’s Breece Hall.

Such is the current NFL running backs’ hierarchy according to ESPN’s survey of league executives. Senior reporter Jeremy Fowler presented the Top 10 voting results for the running backs position on Monday and the New York Jets‘ RB1 was slotted at No. 2 overall.

Hall was second to only McCaffrey, who totaled more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage for the San Francisco 49ers in 2023. Cleveland Browns‘ workhorse Nick Chubb was third followed by Philadelphia Eagles‘ offseason addition Saquon Barkley at No. 4.

“I feel like right now McCaffrey’s the best in the league and, to me, he sets the standard,” said Hall after a June 11 minicamp practice in Florham Park. “We’re going to see him Week 1 and everything, and we’re playing against some of the best linebackers, so, for me, it’s exciting just to see where I stand. Really let everybody see my full talent now that I’m healthy.”

Hall averaged 4.5 yards per carry despite facing a high volume of stacked boxes last season. He led all NFL running backs in pass receptions (76).

“You look at Breece and just the amount of work that he put in to get back and be able to play at a high level,” said Jets’ offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett on a recent episode of the Official Jets Podcast. “He was a little slow to start as he was working himself back in, but watching him slowly get better and better as the season went. That checkdown [pass], versus the Giants, that went for 50 [yards] shows what he’s capable of. You can throw him a two-yard pass and he can go the distance.”

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Hall’s 1,585 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns coming off an ACL injury look even more impressive considering the Jets’ offense significantly underperformed as a whole. In addition to losing future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the season, New York saw its patchwork offensive line ravaged by injuries.

Jets’ veterans are set to report to training camp on July 23. New York will kick off the regular season on the road against the 49ers on September 9.

From ESPN’s Execs, coaches, scouts rank NFL’s top 10 running backs for 2024:

“Hall is considered the game’s best running back under the age of 25, with big upside on Year 3 projections. … ‘Legit dual-threat, a glider with high-level change of direction and vision,’ an NFL personnel evaluator said. … .”