Rookie Report Card: Steelers' New Offense Should Give Anthony McFarland More Chances
As we continue our dive into the Pittsburgh Steelers 2020 rookie class, we come to the first of two fourth-round draft picks, running back Anthony McFarland.
Though he didn’t have a huge role in his rookie season, McFarland had enough reps to gauge his skillset and development. Pittsburgh operated with a running back by committee setup in 2020, and McFarland played the least offensive snaps of any running back, excluding Derek Watt. Add that to the fact that Pittsburgh often used no running back at all, and it’s no surprise that McFarland didn’t play a ton of snaps. Regardless, we will evaluate what we saw in his limited action.
When the Steelers selected McFarland in the fourth round of the draft, it was a bit of a surprise. McFarland’s home run ability seemed to be his biggest upside; his speed in the open field is a serious threat. In his 39 touches as a rookie, we didn’t see that big-time speed from McFarland. His longest run on the season was 20 yards and his longest reception went for 17. Outside of his longest rush, McFarland averaged less than three yards per carry. His lack of success wasn’t all on him, though.
It’s no secret that the Steelers offensive line was putrid in 2020. The same can be said of their offensive scheme and play calling. All of the running backs, not just McFarland, had to try their best to make something out of nothing. Other than James Conner to a degree, no one had much success.
Play design didn’t help McFarland’s case, either. Looking at his combination of size and speed, McFarland isn’t a running back who will have most of his success between the tackles. He is better served as a scatback kind of runner. Too many times in 2020, McFarland was running up the middle and between the tackles. He was never going to have much success in that role, and it’s a serious wonder why he was asked to do it so much.
Looking at his attributes, it appeared that McFarland wasn’t quite processing what he was seeing as a rookie. Watching him run, it looked like McFarland would see a hole, but his feet were moving faster than his brain could tell him to hit the hole. He has quick feet; there’s no doubt about that. It just looks like he needs to slow the game down a bit. A full offseason of practice with a new scheme will probably help McFarland in that regard. Working with running backs coach Eddie Faulkner will definitely help his cause, too.
While he didn’t have much success as a rookie, it makes sense to look past that and look to the future with McFarland. He wasn’t put in situations to succeed in 2020, but that should be different in 2021. Matt Canada’s promotion to offensive coordinator will probably benefit McFarland more than most other players. We will see a lot of pre-snap motion, jet sweeps, and overall creativity; this new scheme will play right into McFarland’s hands. Getting him the ball in the open field, matched up with a linebacker, and giving him one guy to beat, should bring success to the offense. Further, the offensive line will probably be invested in prior to next season, which will benefit not just McFarland but all the running backs.
This series is meant to review 2020 for the Steelers rookie class, but there just wasn’t much to talk about for Anthony McFarland. He didn’t have a big role, and he didn’t have much success in his limited reps. It’s not all his fault, though. We know the potential is there with him. The coaching staff definitely trusts him; look no further than him being the target of a fourth down pass with the game on the line against Washington. His previous connections to Canada at Maryland will probably be beneficial, too. Odds are that 2021 will be a more productive year for McFarland than 2020 was.
Connor Deitrich is a Contributor with AllSteelers. Follow Connor on Twitter @CDeitrich22, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
