3 Best NFL Running Backs to Ever Come Out of Florida

The Florida Gators' running back alumni are headlined by the legendary Emmitt Smith, but the rest of this group are no slouches either.

An honorable mention should go to Chicago Bears RB Neal Anderson, who came up just short of this all-time top-3 list. He had a solid NFL tenure with the Bears that spanned eight seasons, which puts him third on the charts for total rushing yards by former Gators.

Here are three of the best NFL running backs to come out of Florida.

3. Rick Casares (1955-66)

A runner of a different era, Rick Casares was considered a fullback as well as a halfback. Drafted in the second round by Chicago, Casares played his best 10 years with the Bears before finishing out with the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins. His overall numbers fall a bit short of Anderson, but his long list of accomplishments show the impact he had during his time period. Not only was Casares an NFL Champion in 1963, he was a two-time First-team All-Pro and two-time Second-Team All-Pro. He also led the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in 1956, his best season.

2. Fred Taylor (1998-2010)

Drafted No. 9 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1998, Fred Taylor never disappointed for the Florida franchise. Taylor ran for over 1,000 yards seven times out of his 11 seasons with the Jags, with a high of 1,572 in 2003. In 2000, he averaged a ridiculous 107.6 yards per game. His total average per game during his time with Jacksonville was 80.5 yards. He won Second Team All-Pro in 2007, and finished his career with two seasons on the New England Patriots. Taylor is the only Florida Gator in the vicinity of Emmitt Smith for NFL rushing yards, with 11,695.

1. Emmitt Smith (1990-2004)

The Florida native was drafted at No. 17 overall by the Dallas Cowboys, and the rest was history. Over 18,000 rushing yards and 21,500 scrimmage yards, 175 total touchdowns, 11 straight 1,000 yard rushing seasons with a high of 1,773 in 1995 (averaged an unheard of 110.8 yards per game that season), and 85.4 yards per game in 13 seasons with Dallas. Emmitt Smith spent his final two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. As a three-time Super Bowl Champion, Super Bowl MVP and regular season MVP in 1993, four-time First-team All-Pro, two-time Second-team All-Pro, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, four-time rushing yards leader, four-time rushing touchdowns leader, member of the Cowboys Ring of Honor, member of the NFL 1990's All-Decade Team and member of the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, Emmitt truly did it all. He is one of the best football players to ever live.

Get $20 FREE when you sign up for FanDuel Racing, plus we’ll match your first deposit in site credit up to $50!

Michael Obermuller is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Michael also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username king_mizzard. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.