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LeSean McCoy, Arian Foster are easily the top running backs from the 2009 draft class

Rich Schultz

Since being drafted in the 2nd round of the 2009 NFL Draft, LeSean McCoy has been one of the best players on the Eagles roster. His ability to make a man miss is legendary and his nose for the endzone is well-documented. He is coming off an injury-plagued 2012, where he missed four games and finished with his lowest totals since his rookie season, when he was the back-up to Brian Westbrook.

As McCoy enters 2013, he is poised for a bounce-back year and will certainly benefit from the arrival of Chip Kelly and a healthy offensive line. However, while it is fun to look ahead, McCoy's production over the last four years has been nothing short of special. At 24, he has already been responsible for well-over 5,000 total yard and 38 total touchdowns. That is not so bad for the fourth overall running back taken in the 2009 draft.

Obviously, McCoy has been dominant when it comes to the Eagles, but how special has he been to the NFL? If you compare him to the rest of his draft class, the answer is between very and scary good. Of the drafted running backs in 2009, McCoy (literally) runs away with his rushing, receiving, and touchdown totals. Now, you may say this class is weak, but keep in mind the amount of running backs still in the league from this class.

McCoy has been remarkable during his four-year career, with his only rival from the class being undrafted Arian Foster. The Tennessee alum is clearly the more productive back on the ground with better totals in rushing yards and total touchdowns than McCoy. Foster has been a Pro Bowler like McCoy and proven to be a good pass catcher out of the backfield as well. McCoy, however, has the most receiving yards for a running back in the entire class.

Want to know how good McCoy and Foster have been over the last four years? Check it out:

Rd. Overall Pick Player College Games Rush Yds Rec Yds Total TDs Active
1 12 Knowshon Moreno Georgia 34 2,430 853 22 Yes
1 27 Donald Brown Connecticut 50 1,840 553 11 Yes
1 31 Beanie Wells Ohio State 51 2,471 293 24 FA
2 53 LeSean McCoy Pittsburgh 58 3,866 1,588 38 Yes
3 65 Shonn Greene Iowa 61 3,423 482 18 Yes
3 74 Glen Coffee Alabama 14 226 76 1 No
4 111 Mike Goodson Texas A&M 40 722 524 4 Yes
4 129 Andre Brown NC State 14 384 86 8 Yes
4 134 Gartrell Johnson Colorado State 19 79 6 0 No
5 169 Frank Summers UNLV 2 0 0 0 Yes
5 173 Javon Ringer Michigan State 37 486 243 3 FA
6 185 Cedric Peerman Virginia 38 274 96 1 Yes
6 192 Aaron Brown TCU 22 189 138 1 No
6 195 James Davis Clemson 9 75 50 0 No
6 209 Bernard Scott Abilene Christian 47 1,035 165 4 Yes
7 211 Chris Ogbonnaya Texas 30 420 371 1 Yes
7 212 Javarris Williams Tennessee State 4 6 0 0 No
7 215 Fui Vakapuna BYU 0 N/A N/A N/A No
7 240 LaRod Stephens-Howling Pittsburgh 57 651 534 11 Yes
7 250 Rashad Jennings Liberty 38 944 454 7 Yes
N/A N/A Arian Foster Tennessee 51 4,521 1,531 50 Yes
N/A N/A Isaac Redmen Bowie State 47 1,136 394 7 Yes
N/A N/A Kahlil Bell UCLA 27 633 150 1 Yes

While Foster has topped McCoy in the rushing and scoring categories, do you still think Shady is the better back? Do you think Foster's productivity is based most on the Shanahan running scheme or on his natural ability? Do you think McCoy has been the victim of Andy Reid's love for the long ball and the offensive line's inability to stay healthy?

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