The Carolina Panthers struck gold when they selected running back Christian McCaffrey in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Stanford product proved to be worth the risk of a high draft pick (8th overall) as he flourished in the team's offense and had a solid rookie campaign.

With McCaffrey proving to be a versatile player in the offense, new offensive coordinator Norv Turner has plans on how to utilize him even more in his sophomore season with the team. Turner talked about McCaffrey and what he may have in store for him in 2018, via Bill Voth of Panthers.com.

“He had an unbelievable rookie year and did a lot more than a lot of people would be asked to do and handled them all,” Turner said. “He lined up everywhere you could line up, which is hard for a rookie.

“He's got such talent, you're just going to keep finding ways to get him the ball and try to create more space for him. That hard-nosed running between the tackles he can certainly do, but I don't know that's what you want to lead with him.”

In his first season in Carolina, McCaffrey was utilized more for his pass-catching ability rather than what he can do as a ballcarrier. The 21-year-old McCaffrey caught 80 passes for 651 yards and five touchdowns.

The versatile back quickly became a favorite target of quarterback Cam Newton as it didn't take long for them to strike up some chemistry on the football field. Along with his impressive numbers in the passing game, McCaffrey also rushed 435 yards and two touchdowns on 117 carries during his rookie campaign.

If Turner sticks by his stance to get McCaffrey that much more involved, expect these numbers to improve across the board as the 2018 NFL season could be a big one for McCaffrey.