In a Draft Class Loaded at Running Back, Don't Forget Christian McCaffrey

In a draft class featuring the most talent at the running back position in recent memory, the hype surrounding Stanford's Christian McCaffrey has seemingly gone quiet. That's absurd considering this is the same guy that broke Barry Sander's all time NCAA purpose yards record last year. Christian McCaffrey is a special talent, and has potential to be a work horse running back in the NFL. Due to a rocky start to his season this year though people seem to have forgotten about how dynamic McCaffrey is, and that is a HUGE mistake. He was initially projected to compete closely for the Heisman Trophy this year, but now sits outside looking in on the Heisman race. Who cares about a Heisman though, when you're potential first round draft pick.

McCaffrey has the prototypical size of an NFL bell cow at 6'0, 201 lbs but he needs to put on a little more weight to handle an NFL workload. However at his size, he can play with such shiftiness at times I'd have thought he was Darren Sproles. McCaffrey has that natural ability to make guys miss, and pairs it with what I think is the best vision at his position. Thanks to that vision, McCaffrey isn't just limited to inside runs or outside stretch plays, he can do it all. Take this run against UCLA for example:

McCaffrey is running a counter to the left, and the defense isn't fooled at all. It looked like UCLA had a chance to bottle him up as soon as he hits the hole, but McCaffrey finds cut back lanes with his incredible vision and displays tremendous short area burst and agility to make a big gain out of nothing. McCaffrey runs with such elusiveness and smoothness that it reminds me of Reggie Bush at USC. Like Bush at USC all you need to do is put the ball in McCaffrey's hands and something will happen.

What sets McCaffrey apart from his peers at his position is the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. McCaffrey is able to run routes like a wide receiver, and this causes problems for linebackers or safeties who are forced to cover him. His ability to stay on the field on 3rd down is a testament to how versatile he is. There's a reason he broke the all purpose yards record last year. Watch this play against Iowa in the Rose Bowl last year for example:

Look at the safety who comes up and the outside linebacker. McCaffrey gives a nice little head fake to the outside, slips through the crack in the zone, and takes it to the house. Both defenders were fooled by McCaffrey's route, and he's able to get behind them and flash his long speed after the catch. McCaffrey is able to affect the game in many ways unlike the typical white Stanford running back (Toby Gerhat I'm looking at you) , and defenses simply must account for him in passing situations. McCaffrey won't have a hard time staying around on 3rd downs once he gets to the NFL because of his versatility, but could definitely work on his pass protection. In all the game tape of his I watched he was a willing blocker, but needs to refine his technique because I was seeing way to many failed chop blocks in the Oregon game this year.

In 2015 Christian McCaffrey broke the all purpose yards record held by Barry Sanders. Wait.. Where have I heard that one before? Well I'm sure you've heard me mention it a million times by now, but it's just too important not to talk about. McCaffrey is a dangerous returner, and like Sanders (obviously not to his degree) is dangerous and slippery in the open field. Where McCaffrey excels as a runner with his vision, he brings the same to the return game whether it be kicks or punts. Watch him embarrass Iowa on a punt return in the same game as earlier:

McCaffrey has the long speed and elusiveness you'd look for in a punt/kick returner. What really sets him apart as a great returner is really the vision to follow his blocks and then just turn on the jets. To be a successful returner in the NFL the most important thing is the ability to be able to follow your blocks. You don't have to run a 4.40 40 yard dash, I mean look at Julian Edelman. The guy has had success in the league as a return man not because he's fast but because of great vision. McCaffrey is also able to combine great athleticism with just as great vision. McCaffrey is a multi faceted player, and can affect the game in many ways making him the most complete and well rounded running back in this draft class.

Playing in the PAC 12 definitely hurts McCaffrey's stock a little bit. I'm sure if he was playing in the SEC or Big 10, he'd be the 2nd ranked running back behind Leonard Fournette. But regardless of the conference, it's not like McCaffrey isn't doing this against NFL caliber prospects. He gashed a formidable USC front 7 for 238 total yards in the beginning of the season. Take a look:

What was supposed to be a Shaqtin a Fool blooper reel esque play, ended up turning into a 10 yard gain for Stanford thanks to #5. It doesn't matter who the competition is, McCaffrey is a problem for opposing teams. Have you ever drank a 4 shot expresso and gotten hyped from all the caffeine? Well McCaffrey runs like he's had 5 of those. This dude is a jitter bug, and can make anyone miss. He isn't one of those Jamal Charles type backs where he'll run out of bounds instead of looking for contact either. Look at the play, he lowers his shoulder and churns out a couple extra yards after contact. He's not afraid of trying to punish tacklers and throws all 200 lbs of him at a defender, and that's the kind of mentality that makes a great NFL back.

McCaffrey is under looked because he's in the same draft class as the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson, which isn't his fault. Oh and also because he may be a white running back who isn't a "between the tackles" type runner. He has some issues that need to get fixed when he gets to the pros, (mostly getting on about another 10-15 lbs) but he by no means should be forgotten. I believe from the film I've watched, McCaffrey can definitely be a franchise running back, and by all means and has the potential to be Pro Bowl caliber player. Any running back needy team who decides to pass up on McCaffrey in the first round would be making a huge mistake. Unfortunately that may be the case though as teams seem to be hesitant in taking him early, so whichever lucky team selects him in a later round will make football fans remember the name Christian McCaffrey.