Christian McCaffrey adds an explosive spark to the Panthers offense

The Panthers offense just got a whole lot more exciting after the team scooped up Christian McCaffrey with the No. 8 overall selection in the 2017 NFL draft.

McCaffrey’s collegiate résumé is arguably the best in the entire draft class. At Stanford, he set the record for all-purpose yards in a season in 2015, racking up 2,019 rushing, 645 receiving, 1,070 on kick returns, and 130 on punt returns.

It was enough to earn him the 2015 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and nearly enough to snag the Heisman Trophy. While his numbers weren’t quite as gaudy in 2016, he still managed to lead the nation in all-purpose yardage, despite finishing with more than 1,000 yards fewer than the season prior.

Big numbers in college don’t always mean a productive NFL player. But McCaffrey’s best attributes translate well to a professional backfield, and his trademark versatility will be useful.

At the NFL Combine, in drills that measured agility and burst, McCaffrey blew away the rest of the field, including the other top running backs of the class.

His 40-yard dash time (4.48 seconds) narrowly bested the marks set by LSU’s Leonard Fournette (4.51) and Florida State’s Dalvin Cook (4.49). But it was McCaffrey’s 37.5-inch vertical jump and his historically great 6.57 seconds in the three-cone drill that really set him apart.

What McCaffrey does best is find seams, put his foot in the ground, and accelerate through the gaps to daylight. His marks at the combine validate that change-of-direction ability and burst, and so does his expansive highlight reel at Stanford:

It’s a skill set that translates well to any backfield but also made him a valuable weapon as a pass catcher and returner for the Cardinal. But there have been many players who were versatile weapons in college before they were forced to conform to a single position in the NFL.

In 2013, Myles Jack earned the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year awards. Long before that, Eric Weddle did everything for Utah, including playing 90 snaps in a 2006 game in which he scored the team’s only two touchdowns and was the holder for the game-winning field goal.

While both Jack and Weddle were relegated to single defensive positions in the NFL, McCaffrey’s versatility is unlikely to go to waste. He told reporters in March that NFL teams told him they would like to put his diverse skill set to use.

“It’s basically the same stuff I’ve been doing at Stanford,” McCaffrey said at the NFL Combine. “Something I really pride myself on is not just being a running back that can catch the ball but if I move out to the slot, I become a receiver. If I move out to X or Z, I become a receiver and not just a running back. I really try to pride myself on route running, catching, and being able to be a mismatch anywhere on the field.”

And McCaffrey already plans on being one of the most-used players in the NFL.

“I definitely believe I can be an every-down back and a specialist, do them both at the same time.”

Unlike Fournette and Cook, McCaffrey isn’t built like a typical workhorse running back. At 5’11, 202 pounds, he isn’t a small back, but he has a slighter frame than most.

His 2016 stats were hurt a bit by an undisclosed injury that cost him one game and a decision to skip the final bowl game of his collegiate career. McCaffrey’s choice to pass on playing in the Sun Bowl raised eyebrows, but Fournette made the same kind of decision, and it’s unlikely that NFL teams took it into consideration much.

The two games McCaffrey missed in 2016 were the only two he missed in his collegiate career, and he proved durable at Stanford where he often had more than 30 touches per game.

But the other concerns about his less-than-ideal size are his ability as a pass blocker and his capability of running through arm tackles the way he managed to do at Stanford. If McCaffrey proves unsatisfactory at doing either, he could be relegated to a change-of-pace role, which is hard to justify spending a first-round pick on.

McCaffrey’s career average of 6.2 yards per rush is the most important stat of his college career, as his success as a running back will be paramount to making the early pick worthwhile, even if he contributes elsewhere.

Pretty well! McCaffrey can fit virtually anywhere, because he’s such a dynamic athlete. In a weird twist, McCaffrey’s offense in Carolina might be more college-like than the pro-style unit he played for at Stanford. With Cam Newton and McCaffrey in the same backfield, the Panthers should have two terrifying running threats in the backfield at the same time on most downs. Plus, McCaffrey can flex out as a receiver whenever.