Niner Noise
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If the 49ers Go Running Back in the First Round, Who Should They Take?

By JD Leidy

Feb 9, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan pose for a photo during a press conference at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan pose for a photo during a press conference at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 3, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Florida State Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook goes through workout drills during the 2017 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 3, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Florida State Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook goes through workout drills during the 2017 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Physical & Mental Agility

Agility

At the NFL Scouting Combine, agility is best scoped during the “3-Cone Drill,” a proverbial Tilt-a-Whirl of back and forth dipping, dodging and short-yardage sprinting.

Agility
Agility /

McCaffrey is the clear winner here, besting Cook by almost a full second.

Moreover, just like assessing Fournette’s strength, it’s often best to simply go to the tape. Look at McCaffrey’s moves in open space, as he repeatedly leaves defenders holding their jocks with a single head fake or cut:

Cook is also capable of breaking big gainers. However, his success tends to hinge more on speed and angles, as compared to making guys out-and-out miss.

Like the bench press, Fournette did not log a 3-Cone Drill time at either the Combine or the LSU pro day.

Football IQ

Football IQ is hard to determine. Really hard.

The NFL relies on the Wonderlic Test, “an intelligence exam used to assess the aptitude of prospective employees for learning and problem-solving abilities,” as their intelligence barometer. However, the results of combine participants are not usually released to the public.

Thank goodness for leaks.

As of a few days ago, the Wonderlic scores for each of the 2017 draft’s top three backs have somehow found their way into the public domain:

Football IQ
Football IQ /

"“A score of 20 is intended to indicate average intelligence, while a score of 10 or higher indicates the subject is literate.” – Mark Heim of AL.com"

Now, the results of the Wonderlic have not always guaranteed NFL success over the years. For example, Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw notched a very pedestrian 16 on the exam. Former first-round bust Ryan Leaf, on the other hand, scored a 27.

That noted, NFL offenses are more complex than ever. And having above-average smarts certainly couldn’t hurt a future NFL player’s prospects. Not only did McCaffrey outstrip the other top backs in this draft class, he was also named the CoSIDA’s Division I Academic All-American of the Year in 2016.

Per the Wonderlic, McCaffrey may not be ready to seed his own MENSA chapter any time soon. However, he’s clearly the top choice for above-the-shoulder assets among the running back draft class of 2017.