NFL GM's Leave Cardinals RB Out of Top Ten Rankings

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner was nowhere to be seen on ESPN's top ten list.

Dec 24, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) catches a pass that he converts into a touchdown in the first half against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports / Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner is coming off his best season at the professional level, crossing the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career while also reaching the end zone a total of nine times.

Conner arguably was Arizona's most valuable player last season, and entering a contract season, he says he hopes to stay in the desert past 2024.

"It'd be awesome to finish my career here, but no, nothing changes. If anything, it's time to turn it up even more going into my last year of the deal," Conner said.

"Thankful I got the chance to see the last year of it, so I'll go into it, give everything I got this year and see what happens next year. Hopefully [I will] stay but I understand the business."

Conner looks to again be a strong part of Arizona's improved attack, and while many here consider Conner to be among the best running backs in the league, decison-makers in the NFL don't quite see it that way.

ESPN recently collected data from league general managers and executives to form top-ten positional lists, and when it came to ranking the running backs, Conner was nowhere to be found.

Christian McCaffrey, as expected, headlined a top ten that featured top heavy names such as Saquon Barkley and Jonathan Taylor in the upper half. Players such as Jahmyr Gibbs, Derrick Henry and Travis Etienne rounded out the top ten.

All fine and dandy, though Conner was not one of seven honorable mentions.

Players in the likes of Aaron Jones, Kenneth Walker III, Isiah Pacheco, James Cook, Alvin Kamara, Joe Mixon and D'Andre Swift landed the honorable mention tabs.

Conner did receives votes for the top ten, so he wasn't completely left out of consideration - though ESPN did not clarify how many he received.

Also receiving votes were Kyren Williams, Tony Pollard, Raheem Mostert, Najee Harris, David Montgomery, Rhamondre Stevenson and Austin Ekeler.

Conner finished sixth in rushing last season. Out of the top ten rushers in 2023, Conner was just one of three to average at least 5.0 yards per carry.