Clinton Portis is the only running back who is anywhere close to Emmitt's pace, and he's still 12,425 yards away -- more than Jim Brown's career total.
LaDainian Tomlinson is 1,595 yards behind what Emmitt had at the same age. He'll have to be MUCH better than he has been before he can be considered a potential threat to Emmitt's record.
Larry Johnson has NO SHOT, considering that he's already 26 and has just 2,416 career yards. Emmitt had more than that when he was just 22, and Emmitt was 6,540 yards ahead of Johnson's total when he was 26.
Curtis Martin is 2,086 yards behind what Emmitt had at the same age. He just turned 33 and is 4,252 yards away from the record. Nobody has ever come close to that after turning 33, and the only two guys to top 3,000 after age 33 had far fewer carries before turning 33. Every feature back has broken down long before they gained even 3,000 yards after age 33 -- and Martin broke down last year at age 32.
Other than Portis, no other back is even within 1,000 yards of what Emmitt had at the same age. And keep in mind that Emmitt was the first player ever to be a feature back for 14 seasons. So not only do those players have to pick up their pace by a significant margin, they also have to have the longevity that only Emmitt has ever had.
