New Panther RB Christian McCaffrey: Summary And Outline Of McCaffrey's Overall Game

[Saca312]

Throughout the draft, I will be writing a short little outline concerning each prospect on some key things that each prospect brings. Each of these mini-analysis sections will focus on some key things of each prospects game and their fit on the Panthers. A common theme will be how they will contribute to the evolution of our offense or bolster our defense. 

So, without further ado, enjoy a nice summary of what McCaffrey brings to the table:

RB Christian McCaffrey

Key Combine Stats: McCaffrey's 4.22-second 20-Shuttle is the 14th best performance since 2012, and his 6.57-second 3-Cone is the best during the same span.

Description

A very elusive and talented runner, McCaffrey is a nightmare for any defensive coordinator in the NFL. His ability to play in the slot and be an elite runner is fairly evident in his game. He showcases the patience of Le'Veon Bell and the elusiveness and angles of LeSean McCoy. He's an elite back who can play slot WR at an elite level, and a revolutionary piece in the Panthers evolution.

Scheme Fit: 10/10

McCaffrey finds most of his success from the shotgun. In shotgun or pistol sets McCaffrey created a robust 5.74 yards per attempt versus 5.66 yards on carries with the quarterback under center. On average, there is usually a 0.78-yard difference in favor of runs out of the shotgun. Meaning, regardless of the college program, running out of the shotgun is usually slightly more efficient. QB Cam Newton had 9.2% of snaps from center last year, and ran shotgun for the most part. McCaffrey is a revolutionary runner with amazing vision between the tackles that allows him to thrive in zone offenses. A perfect pairing and fit.

Running Ability: 9/10

A patient runner with an elusive style, McCaffrey makes mature decisions. He gets strong depth to the line of scrimmage to press creases on zone runs and he can string together stutter steps, dips, jump cuts, and jukes to reach the hole. He reads penetration well and reacts appropriately to earn what he can when the defense foils the scheme. Although not a power back, McCaffrey uses his acceleration, body lean, and strength to pull defenders with him when he gets downhill. Because he can accelerate from a stop with good explosion, McCaffrey can lean through a defensive lineman wrapping him from the side when he is heading downhill. He also keeps his feet moving and helps his teammates create a push for extra yards.

Elusiveness: 10/10

McCaffrey is known for his steep angles and steps. He thrives in his elusive running ability. McCaffrey will make defenders miss with his sudden acceleration, explosiveness, and cuts. With his elusiveness, McCaffrey showcases the ability to gain a host of yards without the need to be bulky. He will gain all the yards any powerback would be able to gain in the same situation due to his elusive behavior. 

At 0.436 missed tackles per opportunity (rush or target), McCaffrey forced the third-most whiffed tackles in Yards Created’s history behind Tyler Ervin (0.463) and Joe Mixon (0.577). More specifically, McCaffrey is easily one of the most elusive backs in Yards Created’s very short history. 60.3% of McCaffrey’s cumulative missed tackles in his sample came via a juke, spin, or cut (elusiveness).

That's some crazy stuff.

Pass Protecting Ability: 8/10

At Stanford, McCaffrey got exposure to NFL-style pass plays, jargon, and protection schemes. McCaffrey has shown enough enough refined technique as a blocker that he should develop into a solid pass protector within the course of his rookie year. He gets proper depth into the line of scrimmage to meet with blitzing defenders and shoots his arms for a quick punch. Size has been argued as an issue, and that may be the case in attempting to block any big D-line player, but he has showcased perfect technique and effort to succeed with his size disadvantage. Although he has to improve his reads and reactions to Green Dog Blitzes, McCaffrey has shown enough enough refined technique as a blocker that he should develop into a solid pass protector within the course of his rookie year. 

Vision: 9/10

McCaffrey's vision is near elite. McCaffrey will assess the situation of how the defense is reacting to make the best judgement on course of action, and makes the best of decisions. Whenever McCaffrey sees an opportunity present itself through patience and pacing, he'll jump right to it. Unlike other backs like Kamara who would likely bounce outside when impatient with the hole development, McCaffrey will seek out any creases to gain as much yards as possible. This style of running allows him to be successful even without the power. Sometimes, McCaffery will pick a hole before he reads the situation. It occurs on short-yardage plays and makes him prone to tentative decision-making when he's off his game. When this happens, he'll appear hesitant to hit skinny creases with aggression and he runs into defenders he could have avoided. Dense boxes at the line of scrimmage can be difficult for good professional backs for the same reasons, so it's not a significant concern for McCaffrey.

Receiving: 9.5/10

A big part of McCaffrey's value is the receiving game. He runs a mean Whip Route (a stop-start route across the middle that baits the defender into thinking the receiver will reverse field at the top of the stem) and he routinely finds the open zones. Although he has difficulty with high-velocity targets thrown over his head in the short range of the field, McCaffrey is a reliable option who tracks the ball well and has the athletic ability to present mismatches from the backfield, the slot and on the perimeter. Once in the open field, McCaffrey strings together moves that can turn a short play into a breakaway run.

Production: 10/10

McCaffrey is one of the most prolific college rushers—and receivers—of our time. In fact, he is one of just 12 running backs since 2000 to run for at least 3,500 yards and have over 1,000 receiving yards in a career. Among players on that list, McCaffrey leads everyone in both yards per carry (6.2) and yards per reception (12.1) for their respective careers. That’s absurd.

There should be no questions about McCaffrey's production. He's been productive. McCaffrey faced every defensive front imaginable. McCaffrey posted 5.69 Yards Created per attempt while facing eight or more defenders on 64% of his carries. For a barometer, D’Onta Foreman created more yards on a per attempt basis (5.82) than McCaffrey but he primarily faced light boxes. Foreman faced eight or more opponents in the box on just 17% of carries, but ended up posting slightly more Yards Created against eight or more defenders, which may go against conventional wisdom. Keep in mind: offensive personnel dictates how defenses align. When Stanford ran their unbalanced lines with three tackles, opposing defensive coaches had to match it. At the very least, there are not any warning signs in McCaffrey’s Yards Created sample that suggests he just took advantage of weak fronts.

A very productive runner in any situation.

Ball Security: 10/10

A rare thing to see in McCaffrey's tape is fumbling.  McCaffrey's fumble rate of 1 every 243.7 touches makes him one of the best at ball security in the draft. He showcases proper technique in securing the ball and making sure losing it is not a likely occurrence. In comparison, McCaffrey's fumble rate dwarfs Cooks' troublesome rate of 1 per 63.8. That's certainly a sweet stat.

Dig Deeper:

• Comparing All Runningbacks Of The 2017 Draft Class
• Statistical Analysis Of McCaffrey
• Full Draft Profile On McCaffrey
• A Look At McCaffrey As A Fit On The Panthers In GIF Form

[TheSpecialJuan]

Matt Bowen ESPN Staff Writer 

Picture a Panthers RPO scheme (run-pass option) with Christian McCaffrey aligned in the slot (W). That allows Carolina to pair QB Cam Newton on the zone-read with McCaffrey running the bubble screen. This plays out like a triple-option with the opportunity to get the ball to McCaffrey in space. Another way to utilize his versatility in the offensive game plan.

[RJK]

Pair him with samual...DCs will be pulling their hair out scheming against that  

[Chief Keek]

Nice write-up man, I think CMC is going to bring some explosiveness back to the Offense.

[Saca312]

2 hours ago, Chief Keek said:

Nice write-up man, I think CMC is going to bring some explosiveness back to the Offense.

Lord him and Samuel?

Are the Panthers trying to kill off the league?

[Dhagans06]

Great write up man! I cant wait to see him and Samuels together


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[Stumpy]

Although he has difficulty with high-velocity targets thrown over his head in the short range of the field,

...Hmmm. Anybody else see a problem with this?


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[brandon_87]

No matter how good he was in college... we do not run the kind of offense that will make him a weapon, just a wasted pick when we had bigger needs. He would be better suited for KC or NO, or even NE, but not here

[Hoenheim]

That photoshop is really cringeworthy, should be outlawed until he actually plays in a real jersey 

[Hoenheim]

33 minutes ago, Stumpy said:

 

...Hmmm. Anybody else see a problem with this?


Sent using the amazing CarolinaHuddle mobile app
 

 

Cam certainly needs to work on putting touch on his short passes thats for damn sure. His overthrows have been a consistent problem throughout his career . 

The one positive is that he could throw to 5'9'' steve smith. But then again You'd be a fool to compare mccaffrey to 2011-2013 Agent 89 

[Hoenheim]

Someone should tell cam if he miss dudes miss em low not high, because when hes off its ALWAYS high

[Doc Holiday]

4 hours ago, Hoenheim said:

Someone should tell cam if he miss dudes miss em low not high, because when hes off its ALWAYS high

See this is why I think cam will have a long career as long as we can keep him healthy, a QB's career ends when their arm can't swing it anymore.

Remember how McNabb used to always throw short, when his arm went he had nothing left at all, our bonus with Cam is that he's always had a super strong arm, even when he eventually drops off some he's still going to be good for a while.  We just got to keep him healthy!

[Saca312]

On 4/28/2017 at 11:44 PM, Dhagans06 said:

Great write up man! I cant wait to see him and Samuels together


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It's honestly unbelievable. I'm just so hyped for training camp and the season already!

[TheSpecialJuan]