Christian McCaffrey's position in an ESPN ranking of the top running backs in the NFL after polling coaches, executives and scouts should be absolutely no surprise.
McCaffrey rightly sits top of the list after a dominant 2023 campaign that netted him the Offensive Player of the Year award. He won the rushing title with 1,459 yards, was the only player to top 2,000 yards from scrimmage (2,023) and finished tied for the league lead in total touchdowns with 21. McCaffrey was also third in the MVP voting .
Despite all those achievements, there was at least one coach, exec or scout who does not believe McCaffrey is the best back in the NFL.
Indeed, in his blurb about McCaffrey, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler revealed one person they polled had the 49ers' superstar as their fourth-ranked running back.
It would be understandable, even after the Cleveland Browns back's serious injury last season, to perhaps have McCaffrey ranked below Nick Chubb, whom many regard as the best pure runner in the NFL. Chubb does not do the same level of damage in the passing game as McCaffrey, but it is at least an acceptable position to take.
To put McCaffrey fourth after his remarkable demonstration of his all-round impact and his value to the best offense in football is nothing short of absurd.
Few shared that assessment of McCaffrey's skills, as he hoovered up more than 80 percent of first-place votes in the poll after leading the league in explosive plays (10-yard runs and 20-yard receptions).
Fowler quoted one offensive coach who had worked with McCaffrey. He said of the former eighth overall pick: "He does everything exceptionally. Explosiveness, vision, technique, versatility, great teammate, hardest worker, dedicated in the offseason.
"The only thing holding him back was when he was hurt. But he's exactly how you would draw up a football player."
Added a player personnel executive: "San Francisco made one of the best trades of the decade when they got him [in 2022]. He's perfect for what they do."
Not only is McCaffrey perfect for what the 49ers do but, with his running ability, his prowess as a receiver in the formation and out of the backfield and his skills in pass protection make him the archetypal modern-day running back.
It's bizarre that, after the season he had operating in the era's pre-eminent offense that has proliferated around the NFL, there are people inside the league who don't view him as the cream of the crop at running back. After penning a contract extension this offseason, he has many more years with the 49ers in which to prove those people wrong.
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