2017 49ers Draft Prologue: Jack of All Trades, the Christian McCaffrey Connection
By Jonah Burros
The San Francisco 49ers may already have an answer at running back with Carlos Hyde. But it’s not hard to see head coach Kyle Shanahan utilize Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey in his offense if selected in the 2017 NFL Draft.
The reemergence of the running back as a valid top-tier prospect was set in concrete last last season.
Game-changing halfbacks, like rookie Ezekiel Elliott in Dallas and second-year Arizona dynamo David Johnson, dominated defenses and are allowing teams to build around them.
Depending on the offensive line and scheme, the addition of a befitting runner can change the scope of an entire offense.
San Francisco 49ers
Backfields demanding respect from a secondary can open up a lot of options for speedsters and large yardage plays in the passing game. The San Francisco 49ers new head coach, Kyle Shanahan, created a plethora of passing yards out of his running backs and the coverage they demanded in Atlanta.
Shanahan and new 49ers general manager John Lynch have a good running back in Carlos Hyde in place. But this was on an Niners team that placed dead last in total offense, far behind the second worst, by 40 yards a game.
Ironically, San Francisco owned the No. 4 rushing offense behind Hyde and Co. last year. These rushing numbers were bolstered by QB scrambling that accounted for about 32 percent. With basically the same offensive line in place, and neither of the quarterbacks that accrued a third of the rushing yardage from last year, San Francisco has much to think about in its running game.
With the worst run defense in the league encumbering them, the play clock is in the hands of their opponents. The 49ers have added top-tier free-agent fullback Kyle Juszczyk, a phenomenal pass-catching, hard-banging offensive weapon to the backfield.
After Hyde and “Juice,” the Niners added Tim Hightower and re-signed DuJuan Harris, both of whom are shifty backs with receiving chops.
Everyone in this backfield is a receiving threat and add depth in one of the only strengths from last year.
With Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley replacing Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert, the yardage added on the ground at quarterback is sure to fall off. In order to offset this slump and stay within the apparent direction Shanahan is building in his backfield, San Francisco could appease the universe by adding a local favorite from Stanford.
Enter Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, a record-setting and multiple-award-winning prospect with plenty of local favor and attention.
McCaffrey undoubtedly has been noticed by the 49ers board makers.
McCaffrey’s status on many teams and analysts draft boards are somewhat perplexing, yet all the while fascinating. When you break down all of his footage and compare it to the other prospects in this class, then compare the stats and competition, you see a skewed assessment.
McCaffrey shattered Barry Sanders long-standing all-purpose yards record by over 600 yards in 2015. Despite superior numbers, resilience, and versatility he is ranked behind others in this class.
This could be a blessing for the 49ers with a lot of draft capital to move around and get multiple players.
When I break down McCaffrey’s footage I see a “jack of all trades” — a patient runner, who can receive the ball and move around the field in a multitude of fashions.
It’s a patience that allows blocks to develop and then springs into the open field with elite-level field vision. A jack of all trades out of the backfield, a threat on any receiving route, screenplay or zone scheme.
Since I started watching him play, McCaffrey has always reminded me of Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, specifically because of his patience in allowing blocks to develop in front of him while maintaining position and explosion.
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McCaffrey’s footwork, balance and body control allow him to have excellent field vision. All together this prospect seems to be created in a lab petri dish.
The Swiss Army knife approach from Shanahan and Co. in the backfield could be laser sharpened with the addition of McCaffrey. A running back stable this deep, who are all receiving threats and superior runners, could equate to the best in the league.
Taking a team that lacks any significance in most categories and making them the best at one is the proverbial gold in the gutter.
A respected backfield like this would demand an opponent’s entire linebacker corps to be on point, all the while creating many opportunities for speedsters going deep. The “anything could come out of the box at any time approach” could be just the game plan used to make up for a bereft roster in San Francisco going into the first year of a ground up rebuild.