Analysis
DEPTH CHARTS FEATURE - What Ourlads NFL Scouting Services said before CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY made the Carolina Panthers' depth chart: Stanford, 5112 202 4.48. Junior entry from Castle Rock, CO. Three-year starter who earned consensus All-America honors in 2015 after setting an NCAA all-time single season record with 3854 all-purpose yards. He was also the Heisman Trophy runner-up. In 2016 was voted second-team All-America after leading the country in all-purpose yards with 211.6 per game. He was twice a first-team All-Pac 12 selection. One of the top all-purpose backs to enter the draft in the modern era. The explosive running back, receiver, kick returner has rare quickness and Hall of Fame caliber natural hands. He will win match-ups in the slot his first year on the job. McCaffrey has light feet, loose hips, and a quick burst with the ability to change direction while moving at full speed. Has an innate lethal combination of vision and movement ability that constantly make the first defender miss. A space player that a defender will find almost impossible to tackle in the open field. His pass catching skill is that of a top tier wide receiver. Will consistently put forth a yeoman’s effort to block. Productive across the board in every phase of the game. A smart and instinctive athlete who is elusive, a non-fumbler (three career fumbles in 827 touches the past two years), and possesses good body control and open field vision. He is also a fluid and flexible athlete who will bring a mental toughness to the team. A change of pace back between the tackles, but a perimeter game changer on all other downs. Will struggle to break tackles once a defender gets a good grip on him. His power and strength game will be limited. Son of former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey and comes from a family full of high-level athletes. He will specialize as a third down back type and return specialist in the NFL. He is as dangerous as it gets in the open field and brings the versatility to fill multiple roles for any offense. He may be limited as an inside runner, but otherwise is a threat that defenses need to think about every time he is on the field. 2016 stats: 1603 yds, 6.3 ypc, 13 TD, 37 rec, 310 yds, 8.3 ypr, 3 TD. OSR:1/30. First round. (A-30, H-9, BP-10, SS-4.22).