Back to the Stanford Cardinal Newsfeed

Sizing up Christian McCaffrey as an NFL back

Related Topics: Christian McCaffrey

This story appears in ESPN The Magazine's Feb. 27 Entertainment Issue. Subscribe today!

Christian McCaffrey was a triple threat -- running, receiving, returning -- at Stanford, racking up 247.6 all-purpose yards per game before turning pro. But will he continue being an elite difference-maker at the next level? We asked an NFL scout to rate McCaffrey, then had our Insiders respond.

An NFL scout says:

He possesses long-stride speed in the run and pass games and can outrun Power 5 defensive backs on angles to the pylon.1 He'll cut back and fight for yardage along the sideline, and his vision and awareness keep him on the proper side of downfield blocks.