1. He's "a football player": When Thomas Davis announced the Panthers' first-round pick in Philadelphia, the linebacker called Christian McCaffrey a wide receiver and running back. While that may have been a slip of the tongue – or an Oscars-like mistake on the card – McCaffrey is officially listed as a running back.
But he'll likely play plenty in the slot. And jump in on punt returns.
"I'm a football player," he said Thursday night when asked which position he tells people he plays.
"I don't put a title on what position I am. "If you need me to go to wide out, I can go to wide out. If you need me to run power in between the tackles, I believe I can do that as well."
In 2015, McCaffrey broke Barry Sanders' record for most all-purpose yards in a season, and in his three seasons at Stanford, he had 21 rushing touchdowns while adding 10 scores as a receiver and two more as a returner.
2. No smoke: Not since Cam Newton in 2011 have as many mock drafts nailed a Panthers' pick like this one. Yet what had become pretty clear the past few weeks was still fuzzy for some as late as Thursday afternoon when a report labeled Carolina's interest in McCaffrey as a smokescreen.
But the Ron Rivera-Dave Gettleman regime doesn't really do smokescreens, and McCaffrey was a guy on the Panthers' radar even before he turned heads at the NFL Combine in February.
"He's a guy we targeted and that we were hoping to get," Gettleman said, "and the Good Lord smiled down on us."
And when asked if the Panthers considered trading back from No. 8, Gettleman replied: "There's been a lot of action. And we said no."
3. Great pedigree: Before McCaffrey starred at Stanford, his dad Ed was an All-America wideout for the Cardinal and an NFL receiver for 13 seasons.
Many know that, but did you also know?
- Christian's mom, Lisa Sime, played soccer at Stanford.
- His grandfather, Dave Sime, won a silver medal in the 100-meter dash at the 1960 Olympics.
- His uncle Billy played college hoops at Duke and Vanderbilt.
- His older brother Max plays wideout for the Packers.
- His younger Dylan has committed to play quarterback at Michigan.
- His youngest brother Luke has multiple big-school offers.
That's a decent bloodline.
4. Just a kid: About 24 hours before the Panthers picked McCaffrey, cornerback Daryl Worley tweeted this:
tomorrow i will officially no longer be the youngest player in the NFL 路♂️ welcome youngbuls — BRUCE WAYNE (@dworley7) April 27, 2017
So Worley, who turned 22 in February, will be happy to have McCaffrey around. He won't even turn 21 until June.
Did you know, Part II: McCaffrey is the first Panther that wasn't alive for the franchise's first game in 1995 (h/t @tvisgreat).
5. New partner for Jonathan Stewart: Sure, this is true as far as the backfield's concerned, but it's also an intriguing possibility considering Stewart's ability on the piano. And that McCaffrey can do this:
When Thomas Davis announced the Panthers' first-round, the linebacker called Christian McCaffrey a wide receiver AND running back. While that may have been a slip of the tongue – or an Oscars-like mistake on the card – McCaffrey is officially listed as a back. But he'll likely play plenty in the slot. And jump in on punt returns.
"I'm a football player," he said Thursday night when asked which position he tells people he plays. "I'll go where they need me."
In 2015, McCaffrey broke Barry Sanders' record for most all-purpose yards in a season, and in his three seasons at Stanford, he had 21 rushing touchdowns while adding 10 scores as a receiver and two more as a returner.
2. No smoke
Not since Cam Newton in 2011 have as many mock drafts nailed a Panthers' pick like this one. Yet what had become pretty clear the past few weeks was still fuzzy for some as late as Thursday afternoon when a report labeled Carolina's interest in McCaffrey as a smokescreen.
But the Ron Rivera-Dave Gettleman regime doesn't really do smokescreens and McCaffrey was a guy on the Panthers' radar even before he turned heads at the NFL Combine in February.
"He's a guy we targeted and that we were hoping to get," Gettleman said, "and the Good Lord smiled down on us."
And when asked if the Panthers considered trading back from No. 8, Gettleman replied:
"There's been a lot of action. And we said no."
3. Great pedigree
Before McCaffrey starred at Stanford, his dad was an All-America wideout for the Cardinal and an NFL receiver for 13 seasons. Many know that, but did you also know?
–Christian's mom, Lisa Sime, played soccer at Stanford.
–His grandfather, Dave Sime, won a silver medal in the 100-meter dash at the 1960 Olympics.
–His uncle, Billy, played college hoops at Duke and Vanderbilt.
–His brother Dylan has already committed to play quarterback at Michigan.
–His youngest brother, Luke, has multiple big-school offers.
That's a decent bloodline.
4. Just a kid
About 24 hours before the Panthers picked McCaffrey, cornerback Daryl Worley tweeted this:
So Worley, who turned 22 in February, will be happy to have McCaffrey around. He won't even turn 21 until June.
Did you know, Part II:
McCaffrey is the first Panther that wasn't alive for the franchise's first game in 1995 (h/t @tvisgreat).
5. New partner for Stewart
Sure, this is true as far as the backfield's concerned, but it's also an intriguing possibility considering Stewart's ability on the piano. And that McCaffrey can do this:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGu7HA1OGQc/
Dibs on the first Stewart-McCaffrey play music together story.
I call dibs on doing the first Stewart-McCaffrey play music together story.
