The Rams have had one of the richest histories at running back in NFL history.
Power backs. Home-run hitters. Elite receiving threats. Violent finishers. Patient zone runners.
No single back had absolutely everything—but if you combine the best traits across generations, you may end up with the greatest running back ever created.
We want to know from TST readers how they would build the perfect Rams running back in a lab.
Previous Challenges:
Build your perfect Rams quarterback
Here are the five categories
for today’s challenge…
1. Speed / Burst / Acceleration
The modern NFL demands explosive plays, and few positions create them more than running back.
But speed is more complicated than a forty-yard dash.
Do you value pure top-end speed once the runner reaches open grass? Or do you value acceleration—the ability to reach full speed immediately after receiving the handoff? Maybe burst matters most: those first few steps through a crease before defenders react.
Some backs feel faster over distance. Others feel impossible to square up in tight spaces because they get to full speed instantly.
Would you prefer one player’s speed—or another player’s burst?
What type of explosiveness wins games in your version?
2. Power / Physicality
Not every great running back wins with finesse.
Some wear defenses down.
Power isn’t simply running through contact—it’s finishing runs, falling forward, moving piles, and forcing defenders to make business decisions in the fourth quarter.
Physical runners change how defenses play. Safeties tackle differently. Fronts tighten. Entire game plans become more exhausting.
Would you rather have a runner who delivers punishment—or one who simply refuses to go down?
What does physical football look like in your build?
3. Elusiveness
This might be the hardest trait to define.
Elusiveness isn’t necessarily speed and it isn’t necessarily agility.
It’s making defenders miss.
Sometimes it’s a violent cut. Sometimes it’s pacing. Sometimes it’s body control. Sometimes the best move is barely a move at all.
The most elusive runners turn crowded situations into positive plays and make difficult yards feel routine.
Would you prefer a runner that wins with creativity—or one that wins with efficiency?
How do defenders miss your running back?
4. Passing Game
Running back is no longer a one-dimensional position.
Can your perfect back stay on the field all three downs?
Pass catching creates matchup problems. It stresses linebackers, expands playbooks, and turns routine checkdowns into explosive gains.
Some backs function as extensions of the run game.
Others become true receiving weapons.
Would you prefer reliability underneath—or explosive ability in space?
How much does receiving matter in your build?
5. Vision
This may be the most underrated trait of all.
Vision determines whether a runner finds hidden yards—or leaves them on the field.
Great vision means processing movement instantly: blocks developing, defenders flowing, cutback lanes opening and closing.
Some runners are patient.
Some trust instincts.
Some seem to know where the run is going before anyone else.
Would you choose anticipation—or decisiveness?
What separates a good run from a great run in your version?
Your Picks
Now it’s time to build your perfect Rams running back.
Take one trait from one player.
Take another from a completely different era.
There are no wrong answers.
Only your answer.
- Speed / Acceleration / Burst : __________
- Power / Physicality : __________
- Elusiveness : __________
- Passing Game : __________
- Clutch Ability : __________
Would your creation look a lot like Marshall Faulk, the Rams lethal weapon during the Greatest Show on Turf era? Or would your version has similarities to the peak performances of Todd Gurley in Sean McVay’s offense in 2017 and 2018?
There are no wrong answers, which is what makes this debate so much fun. Every Rams era has produced running backs with unique strengths, and every fan will value different traits.
The only question left is this: if you could combine the best qualities from every Rams running back in franchise history, who would make your final roster of traits?
