Do-it-all running back Christian McCaffrey made quite the splash in 2022 following a mid-season trade that landed him with the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7. It took him all of nine days with his new team before putting up a historic performance against the Los Angeles Rams that included a rushing, running and passing touchdown. As it turns out, McCaffrey's impressive showing in Week 8 would be one of many for the running back over the course of the 2022 campaign.
McCaffrey closed out the year with 244 carries for 1,139 yards and eight touchdowns, and through the air, caught 52 passes for 464 yards and four touchdowns. Additionally, he earned Pro Bowl honors and finished second in voting for the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.
As teams begin to gear up for the 2023 season, it should not come as a surprise that there's tons of anticipation for McCaffrey in Year 2 with the 49ers. Recently, the seventh-year pro rounded out the top three of Pro Football Focus' "Top 32" list for running backs behind Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns and Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans.
A few things went into consideration in this ranking of running backs including efficiency statistics as well as common rushing numbers to account for the varied roles that running backs occupy from team-to-team.
Here's what PFF writer Trevor Sikkema had to say about McCaffrey:
"If you heavily weigh receiving ability into where a back should be ranked in an exercise like this, McCaffrey would probably be No. 1. His 92.6 receiving grade was the best at the position last season, and it marked his fourth season with an elite grade in that category.
"His rushing grades haven't been as strong, but he's averaged more than 4.5 yards per carry in each of the past two seasons. Even if his rushing numbers are inflated a bit due to the friendly Shanahan system, McCaffrey is still one of the biggest difference makers at the position."
