RB Christian McCaffrey: Why He Fits The Panthers Best, And A Look At A Refined Runner In GIF Form

[Saca312]

Well, are you ready for draft day already?

If the average Huddler were to search for threads with the title "McCaffrey" in it, they'd come up with a wealth of threads debating and slicing up whether or not he's a possible fit, starting with @Kevin Greene's below:

To add on to the endless pile, I thought I'd enlighten you all with visual gifs on how special McCaffrey is. Although this time it's surprisingly not me as the author and GIF finder, it's still a fantastic read to showcase a guy whose running is vastly underrated. 

http://pantherswire.usatoday.com/2017/04/07/is-christian-mccaffrey-worth-panthers-no-8-overall-pick/

With the organization’s clear intrigue for the Stanford product, a major question looms. Is McCaffrey actually worth that eighth overall selection?

A snap judgement would likely result in a resounding “no.” Why use the franchise’s most valuable draft asset of the past six years on a running back, especially one that isn’t widely considered to be a “bell cow” in a class that’s chock-full of them?

The thing about McCaffrey is he’s not just a running back. He’s a polished running back, a dynamic wide receiver, a dangerous return man and perhaps a perfect fix to Carolina’s offensive woes.

First, let’s take a look at that polish out of the backfield, an asset Carolina should certainly look to add alongside Jonathan Stewart and quarterback Cam Newton.

On a 2nd-and-2 run against Oregon this past season, McCaffrey displayed patience, instincts and explosiveness as a runner. He allowed his blocks to develop, diagnoses the hole and attacks the opening en route to a 61-yard touchdown.

Here’s the dash again from an elevated angle.

Despite preconceived notions or even his lackluster 10 reps on the bench press at the combine, McCaffrey also showed he’s a fine fit for the Panthers’ power running scheme. Take the following snap out of the shotgun against Washington earlier on in the year, for instance.

Much like the deception offensive coordinator Mike Shula often utilizes, McCaffrey took advantage on the read option look from his quarterback. As his blockers swept left, he used that patience to locate some daylight and powered through would-be tacklers on his impressive leg strength, an attribute that would later be backed up by his 37.5-inch vertical jump in Indianapolis.

In addition to his familiarity with Carolina’s preferred rushing concepts, something new wide receivers coach and former Stanford running backs coach Lance Taylor can attest to, McCaffrey’s skill as a pass catcher makes him immensely more valuable on offense.

Here he ran a slant out of the backfield on Kansas State. McCaffrey went to his sharp footwork to, in part, show off just how much he can master his route running.

He locked into his defender Charmeachealle Moore (No. 52), fainted right and quickly shifted back left to the middle of the field to create separation and an open target for his quarterback. Lining up McCaffrey from the slot will prove to be a matchup nightmare for the vast majority of NFL linebackers, as shown by this and the upcoming 67-yard reception at the expense of the rival USC Trojans in 2015.

McCaffrey’s ability to eat up yards after the catch would serve as a long-awaited addition to the Panthers’ offense, a unit that ranked 31st last season in target rate, pass success rate and yards per attempt at the running back spot. His 2015 campaign, according to Pro Football Focus, saw him rack up a yards per route run average of 3.20, the highest at the position and 71 missed tackles, the fourth-most for any rusher in the nation.

That dual-threat mix put McCaffrey right into the fold alongside LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Florida State’s Dalvin Cook, the top-two consensus running back prospects in terms of production against top-30 defenses over the past two seasons. While numbers aren’t everything in the scouting process, they can definitely justify one’s value as compared to similar level players when facing high-level competition.

	Games	Attempts	Catches	Y/A	Y/C	Total Y/G	Total TD
McCaffrey	6	117	28	5.6	12.0	166.0	5
Fournette	6	118	7	4.4	9.3	98.3	3
Cook	12	250	26	6.3	11.3	155.8	16

Oh and let’s also not forget McCaffrey’s prowess as a returner, a position where his elusiveness continues to take centerstage and speak for itself.

If Carolina ultimately bestows its No. 8 pick upon McCaffrey, it’s probably hoping for the entire package, which he very well could be. His effectiveness, overall refinement and promise in the backfield, as a receiver and on special teams help him go into Philadelphia in three weeks as the draft’s most complete back, even more so than Fournette and Cook.

McCaffrey, simply put, is an offensive weapon. He can thrive as a complement and change of pace to Stewart, a wideout that can actually gain separation for Newton and a returner to fill the shoes of the freshly departed Ted Ginn Jr.

Are there better choices in the first round? Yes. General manager Dave Gettleman would likely love to see any of defensive end Solomon Thomas, tight end O.J. Howard or safeties Jamal Adams and Malik Hooker on the board when the eighth selection rolls around.

Can any of them, however, step in as a quick, versatile and much needed solution to what mainly doomed the Panthers in 2016?

[Ace_Aladdin]

27 minutes ago, Saca312 said:

Well, are you ready for draft day already?

If the average Huddler were to search for threads with the title "McCaffrey" in it, they'd come up with a wealth of threads debating and slicing up whether or not he's a possible fit, starting with @Kevin Greene's below:

To add on to the endless pile, I thought I'd enlighten you all with visual gifs on how special McCaffrey is. Although this time it's surprisingly not me as the author and GIF finder, it's still a fantastic read to showcase a guy whose running is vastly underrated. 

http://pantherswire.usatoday.com/2017/04/07/is-christian-mccaffrey-worth-panthers-no-8-overall-pick/

With the organization’s clear intrigue for the Stanford product, a major question looms. Is McCaffrey actually worth that eighth overall selection?

A snap judgement would likely result in a resounding “no.” Why use the franchise’s most valuable draft asset of the past six years on a running back, especially one that isn’t widely considered to be a “bell cow” in a class that’s chock-full of them?

The thing about McCaffrey is he’s not just a running back. He’s a polished running back, a dynamic wide receiver, a dangerous return man and perhaps a perfect fix to Carolina’s offensive woes.

First, let’s take a look at that polish out of the backfield, an asset Carolina should certainly look to add alongside Jonathan Stewart and quarterback Cam Newton.

On a 2nd-and-2 run against Oregon this past season, McCaffrey displayed patience, instincts and explosiveness as a runner. He allowed his blocks to develop, diagnoses the hole and attacks the opening en route to a 61-yard touchdown.

Here’s the dash again from an elevated angle.

Despite preconceived notions or even his lackluster 10 reps on the bench press at the combine, McCaffrey also showed he’s a fine fit for the Panthers’ power running scheme. Take the following snap out of the shotgun against Washington earlier on in the year, for instance.

Much like the deception offensive coordinator Mike Shula often utilizes, McCaffrey took advantage on the read option look from his quarterback. As his blockers swept left, he used that patience to locate some daylight and powered through would-be tacklers on his impressive leg strength, an attribute that would later be backed up by his 37.5-inch vertical jump in Indianapolis.

In addition to his familiarity with Carolina’s preferred rushing concepts, something new wide receivers coach and former Stanford running backs coach Lance Taylor can attest to, McCaffrey’s skill as a pass catcher makes him immensely more valuable on offense.

Here he ran a slant out of the backfield on Kansas State. McCaffrey went to his sharp footwork to, in part, show off just how much he can master his route running.

He locked into his defender Charmeachealle Moore (No. 52), fainted right and quickly shifted back left to the middle of the field to create separation and an open target for his quarterback. Lining up McCaffrey from the slot will prove to be a matchup nightmare for the vast majority of NFL linebackers, as shown by this and the upcoming 67-yard reception at the expense of the rival USC Trojans in 2015.

McCaffrey’s ability to eat up yards after the catch would serve as a long-awaited addition to the Panthers’ offense, a unit that ranked 31st last season in target rate, pass success rate and yards per attempt at the running back spot. His 2015 campaign, according to Pro Football Focus, saw him rack up a yards per route run average of 3.20, the highest at the position and 71 missed tackles, the fourth-most for any rusher in the nation.

That dual-threat mix put McCaffrey right into the fold alongside LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Florida State’s Dalvin Cook, the top-two consensus running back prospects in terms of production against top-30 defenses over the past two seasons. While numbers aren’t everything in the scouting process, they can definitely justify one’s value as compared to similar level players when facing high-level competition.

	Games	Attempts	Catches	Y/A	Y/C	Total Y/G	Total TD
McCaffrey	6	117	28	5.6	12.0	166.0	5
Fournette	6	118	7	4.4	9.3	98.3	3
Cook	12	250	26	6.3	11.3	155.8	16

Oh and let’s also not forget McCaffrey’s prowess as a returner, a position where his elusiveness continues to take centerstage and speak for itself.

If Carolina ultimately bestows its No. 8 pick upon McCaffrey, it’s probably hoping for the entire package, which he very well could be. His effectiveness, overall refinement and promise in the backfield, as a receiver and on special teams help him go into Philadelphia in three weeks as the draft’s most complete back, even more so than Fournette and Cook.

McCaffrey, simply put, is an offensive weapon. He can thrive as a complement and change of pace to Stewart, a wideout that can actually gain separation for Newton and a returner to fill the shoes of the freshly departed Ted Ginn Jr.

Are there better choices in the first round? Yes. General manager Dave Gettleman would likely love to see any of defensive end Solomon Thomas, tight end O.J. Howard or safeties Jamal Adams and Malik Hooker on the board when the eighth selection rolls around.

Can any of them, however, step in as a quick, versatile and much needed solution to what mainly doomed the Panthers in 2016?

He brings the lighting to J-Stews's Thunder.  

Oh yea and becomes your #2 WR  & Return man

[Hoenheim]

Here we go again

[uncfan888]

@sanjay_rajputdon't be the first to reply and quote that long ass OP... Damn dude. Common sense

[Ace_Aladdin]

Just now, Hoenheim said:

Here we go again

I was one McCaffrey train long before anyone else

His versatility is crazy!

[Ace_Aladdin]

1 minute ago, uncfan888 said:

@sanjay_rajputdon't be the first to reply and quote that long ass OP... Damn dude. Common sense

I want to make sure everyone reads it and not skim over it,

Stop setting a bad example @uncfan888

[Ace_Aladdin]

^^^^^

[Ace_Aladdin]

Come watch Fournette & OJ Howard in this upcoming season. 

[uncfan888]

@Jeremy Igo the bots are spreading

[Pejorative Miscreant]

I hear McCaffrey is skipping his rookie contract and 5th year option.   Gonna get KK/Cam money with 1st dibs on post game hat selection.  

 

All that before May 1.   Poo gettin serious.  

[La Pantera]

The norf kreanz are coming

[steven8989]

The norf kreanz are coming

Hmmmmm looks like Stanford has a really great oline from some of those clips. I don't think he would look as great behind ours imo.

Sent using the amazing CarolinaHuddle mobile app

[Ace_Aladdin]

25 minutes ago, uncfan888 said:

@Jeremy Igo the bots are spreading

 

Russians are behind it. 

[Hoenheim]

What mainly doomed the Panthers in 2016? That would be

* Banged up Oline

* Mike Remmers

* Young inexperienced secondary

* Dline that waited until the 2nd half of the season to get pressure on QBs consistently