Christian McCaffrey Ranked as No. 10 Player in NFL & Top RB
Christian McCaffrey has already established himself as one of the premier talents in the NFL and arguably the best and most versatile running back in the league in just his first three years. The impact ‘CMC’ has at every level on offense - in both the run and pass game - has altered the way the NFL looks at and pays running backs, which resulted in McCaffrey inking the most lucrative contract in league history for a running back this past April.
The All-Pro has continued to shatter the record books, already having totaled 5,543 total yards and 39 touchdowns during his first three years. In 2019, he cemented himself as one of the NFL’s most lethal weapons, becoming just the third player in NFL history with at least 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season, joining Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk. McCaffrey racked up 2,392 yards from scrimmage last season - while scoring 19 touchdowns - which places him third on the NFL’s all-time single-season yards from scrimmage list. Additionally, no other running back in NFL history has multiple 100-catch seasons besides ‘CMC’, who has done so in back-to-back seasons at just 24 years of age.
The numbers speak for themselves - Christian McCaffrey is the best running back in the NFL and Pro Football Focus (PFF) agrees.
PFF came out with their top 50 best players entering the 2020 season this past week, crowning Christian McCaffrey as the highest running back on the list along with being the No. 10 player in the league overall. PFF lauded CMC due to his extraordinary impact as both a pass-catcher both out of the backfield and in the slot - recording 116 receptions in 2019 which is most by a running back in NFL history - as well as in the run game where he broke 65 tackles en route to eclipsing 2,000 yards from scrimmage.
No other running back made it into PFF’s top 50 list aside from Cleveland’s Nick Chubb (No. 27) whose impact is not in the same stratosphere as McCaffrey’s. It’s quite clear that there is a gap between CMC and the next best running back in the NFL. Apart from a healthy Le’Veon Bell, there are no other backs in the league that can make such a colossal impact as both a receiver and running back as Christian McCaffrey and is exactly why PFF holds him in such high regard.
As Matt Rhule has said, CMC is an “offensive centerpiece and a player you can build your team around” which is unheard of in a league where running backs are looked upon as replaceable and non-essential to elite success.
Should Christian McCaffrey be higher or lower than No. 10? Is he indeed the NFL’s best running back? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below and discuss it with fellow Panther fans!
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