Player Spotlight: Christian McCaffrey, A Snub Above the Rest

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. – Malvolio, Act II, Scene V, Twelfth Night

Every December, the NFL announces 44 players from each conference that have been selected to the Pro Bowl, the league’s annual All-Star game taking place the weekend before the Super Bowl. Players are selected to the Pro Bowl by three groups: the coaches, other players, and the fans. Each group is given equal weight in the vote. Every December, fans and players alike are disappointed that some of the league’s elite somehow don’t make the cut to the annual conference showdown in Orlando. Some positions feature a plethora of Pro Bowl quality players, so America expects that some will not get an invitation. But this year there was a snub so egregious, so utterly indefensible, that the player deserves special recognition. His name is Christian McCaffrey.

McCaffrey is the son of legendary Denver Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffrey. From Castle Rock, CO, he went to Valor Christian High School where the team won the state championship for their division all four years of his tenure. McCaffrey then followed in his father’s footsteps and went to Stanford. McCaffrey and the Stanford Cardinal won a bowl game each year from 2014-16, including the Rose Bowl in 2015. In that game, McCaffrey had 18 rush attempts for 172 yards and 4 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. Stanford beat Iowa 45-16, and McCaffrey was named co-MVP with fellow Cardinal Aziz Shittu. In that 2015 season McCaffrey also had two passing touchdowns. Overall, the dual-threat dynamo finished his college football career with a long list of school records:

• 3rd most career rushing yards (3,922)
• 2nd and 5th most rushing yards in a single season
• 2nd, 4th, 9th, and 10th most rushing yards in a single game
• T-10th most career rushing touchdowns (21)
• T-9th most rushing touchdowns in a single season (13)
• T-1st most rushing touchdowns in a single game (4)
• 2nd most career all-purpose yards (6,987)
• 1st and 2nd most all-purpose yards in a single season
• 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th most all-purpose yards in a single game

731 plays, 5128 yards from scrimmage, 31 touchdowns. In three years.

Following the end of his junior season, McCaffrey declared eligible for the 2017 NFL Draft, where he was the selected 8th overall by the Carolina Panthers, and the second overall running back to be drafted. The first was Leonard Fournette. Here is a comparison of their per game average stat lines while carrying the ball:

• Fournette (21 games): 19.1 attempts, 70.4 yards, 0.7 touchdowns, 3.69 yards/attempt
• McCaffrey (31 games): 10.7 attempts, 48.9 yards, 0.3 touchdowns, 4.56 yards/attempt

Overall, Fournette is the better running back, but carrying the ball is only half of the picture when you look at Christian. Here are the per game average stat lines when looking at their receiving:

• Fournette (21 games): 2.8 receptions, 23.2 yards, 0.1 touchdowns, 8.4 yards/catch
• McCaffrey (31 games): 6 receptions, 48.3 yards, 0.4 touchdowns, 8.04 yards/catch

Clearly, McCaffrey blows Fournette out of the water when tasked with catching bombs from quarterbacks. But that makes sense; Fournette is a starting running back, he isn’t expected to make end-zone catches every game. But what about those wide receivers who were drafted before McCaffrey? There were two: Corey Davis, 5th overall pick by the Tennessee Titans, and Mike Williams, 7th overall by the Los Angeles Chargers. Here is the per game average receiving stat line for the three players:

• Davis (26 games): 3.6 receptions, 46.8 yards, 0.2 touchdowns, 12.96 yards/catch
• Williams (25 games): 2 receptions, 27.8 yards, 0.4 touchdowns, 14.16 yards/catch
• McCaffrey (31 games): 6 receptions, 48.3 yards, 0.4 touchdowns, 8.04 yards/catch

Aside from yards/catch, McCaffrey sprints past the two wide receivers in every category. And unlike Fournette, Davis and Williams aren’t even dual-threats; they have combined for 12 rushes for 94 yards and a single touchdown.

In his draft class, McCaffrey has proven to be competitive with other backs and leagues better than the receivers chosen before him. He is having an incredible start to his pro career, and that in itself should be extremely noteworthy. But his 2018 season in particular is something that deserves a close examination.

In the first 15 games of the regular season McCaffrey has accumulated 215 carries for 1080 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns, and 106 catches for 845 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. 1925 all-purpose yards from scrimmage, 13 touchdowns. And to top it off, McCaffrey also has one passing touchdown this season, a 50 yard throw to Chris Manhertz. In the history of the NFL, there is exactly one other player in one season to ever have over 100 rushing attempts, 100 receptions, and at least one pass attempt: LaDainian Tomlinson with the 2003 San Diego Chargers.

Tomlinson is a Hall of Fame running back who was 3-time All-Pro and a 5-time Pro Bowl select. Coincidentally, Tomlinson also did not go to the Pro Bowl in 2003, but did go in 2002 and 2004. In general, LT was better than McCaffrey on the rush, and just slightly behind in receiving.

Regardless, McCaffrey had a historic season this year. As it stands before the Week 17 regular season finale on the road against the New Orleans Saints (a game Carolina will most likely be dominated in), his 1925 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns account for 34.3% of all offensive yardage and 31.7% of touchdowns. He can run, catch, and throw. I wouldn’t be surprised if he could nail a 40 yard field goal attempt too. He’s been the only player all season with over 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game (the 27-30 Week 12 loss to Seattle). He broke Matt Forte’s record for the most receptions by a running back in a single season. McCaffrey should be a serious MVP contender, and a definite starter for the NFC in the 2019 Pro Bowl. Some of his current placements on the NFL Leaderboards this season are:

• 2nd in all-purpose yards
• 4th in rushing yards
• 7th in touchdowns
• 3rd in touches

Alternates have not yet been announced, but his snub for a starting role is hard to justify. McCaffrey has one more touchdown and a higher rushing yards/attempt than Dallas Cowboy Ezekiel Elliot, and trails behind rookie-phenom Saquon Barkley by only 29 rushing attempts, 118 yards, and 3 touchdowns. Barkley also has a lower rushing yards/attempt. Christian McCaffrey is a force to be reckoned with, and deserves to play in Orlando on January 27th. If the league doesn’t invite him as an alternate, this will go down as one of the worst all-star snubs in NFL history.

 

As always, a huge thanks to Pro-Football-Reference for their incredible databases! Follow me on Twitter @somekidadam so you don’t miss any of my articles! And Christian, if you’re reading this, I wish you the best of luck in your career. All of Colorado roots for you every game.