Philadelphia Eagles Draft: 5 Combine Prospects To Watch

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford

I’m a huge McCaffrey fan, and I’m not friends with people who aren’t. He has absolutely everything you want as a running back: vision, patience, burst, open-field evasiveness, ball security, and a presence in the passing game as both a receiver and a blocker. He has a Round 1 grade from me, and I think he’s worthy of a Top-25 selection. His best fit? A West Coast offense, a la Doug Pederson.

The thing is, there are going to be plenty of running backs that are better athletes than McCaffrey. Players like Alvin Kamara and D’Onta Foreman, while not nearly the football players that McCaffrey is, will likely have more impressive Combine performances. McCaffrey has perfectly serviceable NFL burst, but Kamara’s likely more agile. His second-level speed is just fine, but Foreman’s speed/size ratio will tantalize those watching.

Philadelphia Eagles fans should actually hope that McCaffrey doesn’t have that impressive of a Combine performance. There is no doubt in my mind that McCaffrey can be a three-down player at the next level, but there will likely be greater value available for Philadelphia with their Top-15 selection. With a great Combine, McCaffrey could cement himself as a Round 1 pick, even despite the devaluation of running backs. It’s highly unlikely he would drop down to the middle of the 2nd, when the Philadelphia Eagles pick next.

But, if McCaffrey doesn’t stand out at the Combine, there’s a good chance he drops out of Round 1, and within striking range for Philadelphia. While there’s plenty of ball-carrying talent in the later rounds of the draft as well, McCaffrey is a game-changing prospect who, paired with a 1st-round wide receiver, could complete Philadelphia’s young offensive nucleus.