Christian McCaffrey shows off versatility for Panthers

Carolina Panthers rookie running back Christian McCaffrey is a star in the making. He showed exactly why he was a top 10 pick on five touches…

Christian McCaffrey did everything well while at Stanford, so it stands to reason his all-around ability would translate to the next level.

It remains to be seen whether or not the Panthers will use McCaffrey as extensively as he was used at Stanford, but they have to be excited about the opportunity to get him involved as both a runner and a receiver, especially after what they saw on Saturday.

McCaffrey was his usual, electric self.

Play 1: McCaffrey is lined up in the slot as a receiver, and runs a quick out. He gets the ball but goes nowhere after the catch, and is led right out of bounds.

Play 2: Lining up as the left halfback in the shotgun, McCaffrey gets the call on third-and-two and burst up the middle of the field for a huge first down gain. Here he shows off some of his acceleration.

Play 3: This is the type of play and vision that makes McCaffrey such a special talent. He gets the ball on a handoff with the quarterback under center, and uses his speed to get quickly to the second and third level of defense, before he ultimately dives to the pylon for a touchdown. Another big play for McCaffrey here.

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Play 4: On first-and-10, McCaffrey shows some patience at the line of scrimmage and plows forward for a short gain.

Play 5: McCaffrey runs a little delayed screen on this play, and shows off his ability after the catch. As we saw earlier in the game, he’s capable of accelerating upfield in a hurry. This play is another example of him being a dual threat for the Panthers’ offense.

Final Thoughts

This was only a glimpse of the kind of ability McCaffrey has, and I think when all is said and done, he’ll be getting 20-25 touches per game. The Panthers should seriously consider using him on returns if he’s not going to be a featured back, but there will be a package in place offensively to get him the ball plenty.

This kid is going to be special, and he showed exactly why with three explosive plays on five touches, including a very nice touchdown run.