The 2017 class of rookie running backs has been pretty incredible through the first 15 games of the season. 

You've got Kareem Hunt of the Chiefs checking in second in the NFL in rushing yards and third in yards from scrimmage. He set an NFL record for most total yards by a player in his NFL debut and he opened his career with seven consecutive games of at least 100 total yards. 

You've got Leonard Fournette knocking on the door of a 1,000-yard season despite missing three games due to injury, and he needs only one more touchdown to crack double-digits as well. You've got Dalvin Cook, who was third in the NFL in rushing yards at the time he went down with a torn ACL. You've got Joe Mixon, Samaje Perine, Tarik Cohen, Jamaal Williams, Wayne Gallman, Marlon Mack, Aaron Jones, Elijah McGuire, and Chris Carson all playing somewhere between time-share and full-time roles for their teams, each of them flashing high-level talent at one point or another. 

And then you've got Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara, two hybrid style backs excelling at catching passes in a way no other rookie running backs ever have before. 

McCaffrey, the No. 8 overall pick, has run the ball effectively only intermittently, but he's been the Panthers' best pass-catcher this season. McCaffrey has 75 grabs on 105 targets, and five touchdowns to boot. He's caught at least five passes in nine different games, and nearly half of his catches (36) have created first downs for Carolina. 

Kamara, a third-rounder for the Saints, has been even more effective catching the ball. He also has 75 catches, but he's done it on only 93 targets, and he's gained 742 yards on his receptions compared to 611 for McCaffrey. Kamara also has five receiving scores, and he has turned 34 of his 75 catches into first downs. Not only that but Kamara has averaged an NFL-high 6.2 yards per carry. 

Both rookies enter the final week of the season tied for fourth all-time in receptions by a rookie running back. Only Reggie Bush, Earl Cooper, and Herschel Walker ever had more. (Bush and Walker had two receiving touchdowns. Cooper had four.) Matt Forte had only 63 catches as a rookie. Edgerrin James had 62. LaDainian Tomlinson had just 59. Marshall Faulk had 52 and Eric Dickerson had 51. Terrell Davis had 49, Le'Veon Bell had 45, and LeSean McCoy had 40. 

And all those guys played significantly more snaps than either McCaffrey or Kamara, who are essentially part-time players. It's quite the feat these two have accomplished, and we should expect to see them keep catching passes for a long, long time.