Best of the NFL: AFC North, My Take

Best Running Back: Peyton Hillis

Yeah, he’s a Brown, but he deserves to be on this list. I won’t go through each position, but I felt this guy needed to be talked about. I like Peyton Hillis, the dude is a monster. Though there is only a small sample size of his abilities (he was put on the cover of Madden due to his breakout season, we all know what that could do to his production), his 2010 season was so explosive that it can’t be ignored, and is why he earned the best RB of the AFC North as it stands right now.

To say that Hillis’ first season with the Browns, after two seasons with Denver low on the depth chart, was spectacular would be an understatement. Hillis rushed for 1,177 yards on 270 carries, making him the first white running back since Craig James (born 1961) to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. Hillis just took over games leading the Browns to several victories we all know would not have been possible without him. In week 3, Hillis rushed for 144 yards against the usually staunch run defense of Ray Lewis and the Ravens. That’s saying something.

As we move forward, we’ll see how Peyton Hillis develops and we’ll see if he repeat his performance from last season. Better yet, we’ll see how he performs against the best run defense in the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers.