Christian McCaffrey’s Spot On PFF’s RB Ranking Raises Questions

Did Pro Football Focus rank Christian McCaffrey appropriately?

Dec 14, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ranking every position in the NFL has become a popular trend with training camp kicking off for teams.

Pro Football Focus is the latest to join the ranking craze. They recently revealed their rankings for all 32 starting running backs in the league. To no surprise, Christian McCaffrey landed a top spot. 

He surely won’t be the last player on the San Francisco 49ers to earn one either. Pro Football Focus placed McCaffrey as the No. 4 running back in their rankings. It’s a fitting spot for him.

"McCaffrey is the gold standard when it comes to receiving ability at the running back position. He led all backs with 924 receiving yards in 2025, the fourth time he’s paced the league in that statistic across his nine-year career," PFF wrote.

"McCaffrey’s 5,390 career receiving yards are already sixth all time at the position. He’s no slouch when it comes to running the ball, either. In 2025, McCaffrey was seventh in the NFL with 859 yards after contact while running for over 1,000 yards for the fifth time in his career."

The issue with McCaffrey's ranking

Dec 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs for a touchdown against the Chicago Bears in the first half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s undeniable that McCaffrey is a top 5 running back in the NFL. However, there’s a major issue with his ranking. It has nothing to do with his spot, but with who is ahead of him. 

Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs are the first- and second-ranked backs. Those two being in front of McCaffrey is fine. What’s not fine is that Derrick Henry is ahead of McCaffrey.

Pro Football Focus placed Henry as the No. 3 running back. How on earth does that make sense? Henry is a great player, but last year was a clear sign that he’s entering a decline.

He wasn’t ripping off as many massive runs and struggled to take care of the football. Meanwhile, McCaffrey was a workhorse for the 49ers and is also an elite receiver out of the backfield.

A dual-threat running back, even during Henry’s peak years, will always be the better player. So, for Pro Football Focus to have Henry one spot higher than McCaffrey in their ranking, especially after 2025, is criminal.  

I implore Pro Football Focus to reassess this ranking. Under no circumstance is Henry a better running back than McCaffrey. Henry doesn’t even hold a candle to McCaffrey’s importance to his team’s success.

It just blows my mind that Henry is over McCaffrey, and that he’s No. 3 in general. I wouldn’t take him over James Cook, but what do I know?

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