3. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers
Leading the league in yards from scrimmage (2,392) and total touchdowns (19) as McCaffrey did in the 2019 season was impressive enough. To do so with a quarterback situation in which Cam Newton played just two games and then was replaced due to injury by Kyle Allen and Will Grier? Well, that’s next-level stuff. McCaffrey came out of Stanford as the eighth overall pick known as a back who could make things happen in the passing game, and his route understanding has only increased in his three NFL seasons. McCaffrey leads the NFL in receptions (303) and receiving yards (2,503) among running backs since he came into the league, and he’s tied with New England’s James White with 15 receiving touchdowns over that time.
If you want to lead the league in yards from scrimmage and touchdowns with Carolina's 2019 quarterback situation, you're going to have to make things happen in the open field. Run CMC knows the drill, as De'Vondre Campbell tries to follow along. pic.twitter.com/P3FQxmbq5A
— Doug Farrar (@NFL_DougFarrar) July 27, 2020
What makes McCaffrey more than just a situational satellite back is his ability to run with surprising power for his 5-foot-11, 205-pound frame. In 2019, he broke 49 tackles on 287 carries, and added 26 more broken tackles on his 116 receptions. Today’s NFL requires offensive skill position players who can be effective in multiple ways, and few in the league possess more effective versatility than Carolina’s franchise back.