ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler publishes an yearly positional rankings database successful which helium talks to coaches and executives from astir the league. They did running backs connected Monday, truthful San Francisco 49ers moving backmost Christian McCaffrey was inevitably going to beryllium connected the list. The lone question was wherever he’d beryllium ranked.
Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Saquon Barkley were the apical 3 backs. McCaffrey, who was ranked 5th past year, was 4th this year. One idiosyncratic adjacent voted him arsenic precocious arsenic No. 1:
Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 30 | Last year’s ranking: 5
McCaffrey kept a choky gait with Barkley for the 3rd spot but received much votes extracurricular of the apical 5 than helium usually does.
In 2025, McCaffrey posted his 3rd vocation play with astatine slightest 2,000 scrimmage yards, tied for 4th astir by a moving backmost successful NFL history. He needed a league-high 413 touches to bash it.
McCaffrey’s 3.9 yards per transportation was his lowest full-season clip since his rookie twelvemonth successful 2017. One factor: The 49ers ranked 29th successful rushing yards earlier interaction (2.04).
“He’s declined immoderate — I deliberation you volition spot much foodstuff if helium doesn’t person to beryllium the focal constituent of some the tally and walk game,” an NFC enforcement said. “But he’s specified an elite wide subordinate with versatility who takes attraction of himself that helium tin beryllium a apical feline for astatine slightest 1 much year.”
You can’t notation McCaffrey without bringing up the 49ers’ yards earlier interaction stat. Kyle Shanahan has hinted astatine it, but a “less is more” twelvemonth would marque plentifulness of consciousness aft a dense workload past year.
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For example, if the 49ers person a large pb and are closing retired games, wherefore not springiness those carries to Jordan James oregon Kaelon Black? Shanahan didn’t spot Brian Robinson successful the passing crippled oregon arsenic a runner, oregon other we would’ve seen much of McCaffrey’s backup past season. He’s going to person to springiness 1 of the young backs a leash this season, if lone to support McCaffrey caller and steadfast for the duration of the season.
Is No. 5 for McCaffrey fair? The backs aft him were Jonathan Taylor, Derrick Henry, James Cook, De’Von Achane, Kenneth Walker, and Breece Hall. McCaffrey’s quality successful the passing crippled makes it hard to fertile him little than five, truthful it feels similar an close ranking.
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