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The San Francisco 49ers were one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL during the 2024 season. San Francisco only won six games in 2024 and finished dead last in the NFC West standings. The 49ers will be looking to make some huge improvements this fall, headlined by a healthy Christian McCaffrey.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler released an article on Monday that ranks the top 10 running backs in the NFL. Fowler leaned on NFL scouts, coaches, and league executives to help create his running back ranking list.
49ers fans will be excited to see that McCaffrey came in fifth on Fowler's rankings.
“He's a great player, but he's always had durability issues, even in college,” an NFL personnel executive said. “He's an elite trainer and takes great care of himself. He's just not a big body and will lose a step eventually.”
Durability is the one factor that has held McCaffrey back throughout his professional career. CMC has missed 10 or more games in three of the last five seasons.
McCaffrey suffered from Achilles tendinitis during the 2024 season, which caused him to miss eight games.
But McCaffrey is still a beast when healthy.
CMC has four seasons with at least 1,800 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns. That puts him close to multiple NFL greats like LaDainian Tomlinson, Marshall Faulk, Emmitt Smith, and Walter Payton who all had five seasons each.
If McCaffrey can return to his peak form, it could help the 49ers get back to the playoffs in 2025.
“He's still the prototype — and the best player on the field at times,” an NFC scout said.
Christian McCaffrey earns “psycho” label from 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan
McCaffrey turned 29 years old this summer. But that does not mean his team will have diminished expectations for the 2025 season.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan gave McCaffrey a “psycho” label in a recent interview. Shanahan also complimented McCaffrey for taking his injury recovery very seriously.
“He is a psycho in a good way and does everything imaginable every single day,” Shanahan told ESPN. “Last year, he couldn't, because he was battling injury. And this year he is healthy, so he is right back to being who he is and who he has always been, and it's really fun to watch… Christian is as ready as any player I've ever been around.”
McCaffrey sounds both healthy and determined to make a splash later this fall. That could be a huge development for a 49ers offense in need of more juice.
It will be exciting to see McCaffrey hit the practice fields again during training camp later this month.
