Running backs may not matter to some, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have the best one in the league as the Carolina Panthers do.
Not only is Christian McCaffrey unquestionably the top player at his position, he’s also still quite young (23) and should have a lot of high-level football ahead of him.
Pro Football Focus just came out with their annual rankings of the top 25 players in the NFL under the age of 25. McCaffrey came in at No. 3 on their list behind Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Colts guard Quenton Nelson. Here’s what they said about CMC going into year four.
“McCaffrey is the ideal modern NFL running back. He has been the most valuable player at the position since stepping foot on an NFL field in 2017, and he has developed into one of the more dangerous threats in the league as both a runner and as a receiver out of the backfield. . . . He can do everything you would want a running back to do, and he’ll continue to do so for the Panthers given that he’s coming off a freshly-inked contract extension.”
The biggest key for McCaffrey to live up to that deal will be staying healthy.
Last season, he totaled over 400 touches, which is obviously not sustainable. At LSU, offensive coordinator Joe Brady used a lot more two running back sets than the Panthers have in recent years. Knowing that and considering McCaffrey’s indispensability, we should expect to see a lot more work for backups like Reggie Bonnafon, Jordan Scarlett and Rodney Smith.
McCaffrey is still going to get his, though. Based on the contract they gave him he’ll be the foundation of the team’s offense for years to come.
Panthers wide receiver D.J. Moore also made the cut, coming in at No. 16 on PFF’s list.
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