With the 8th Pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select Christian McCaffrey from Stanford.
This picked up a lot of traction in the last week or so. This has a multitude of reasons we will go through now. Christian McCaffrey blew away the combine. He measured off the charts. But what really got him into the top 10 is his versatility.
The Panthers view him as a 3 down back, but they love what he brings to their offense. He can carry the ball through the tackles, and shows patience and burst once he gets space.
However, he is a match-up nightmare in the passing game. Out of the backfield he may be the toughest guy to scheme from this class. He can be a threat standing next to Newton or can line up in the slot and be effective. Linebackers won’t have the speed to catch up and he may be too physical for corners.
The real fit is in this Panthers offense. They needed a player like McCaffrey to take the attention off of Cam Newton. The defense will have to know where he is at all times. The Panthers staff said that they needed to “evolve” their offense. They can absolutely do that with McCaffrey on the roster.
Not to mention, he can immediately be the return man for the Panthers with Ted Ginn Jr. gone.
Many Panthers fans wanted to see this pick happen, and Christian will be in Charlotte soon enough. His presence will be quickly felt as he gives the Panthers offense a much needed shot in the arm.