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Count the Philadelphia Eagles as one of the teams most interested in 2017 NFL Draft running back prospect Christian McCaffery. At least, that’s what a rumor from former NFL offensive lineman and current Denver radio host Tyler Polumbus indicates. Hat tip to Mile High Report on this find.
.@Tyler_Polumbus "From someone close to the situation, the four teams most interested in C.McCaffrey are #Eagles, #49ers, #Colts & #Broncos"
— 104.3 The FAN (@1043TheFan) March 29, 2017
First things first: you have to take a rumor like this with a grain of salt. Polumbus is a former player so of course he might have some league connections but it’s not like he has a proven track record of knowing the Eagles’ intentions.
With that said, McCaffrey could very well be a player the Eagles like. Philadelphia seemingly hasn’t brought him in for an official pre-draft visit (yet?) or put him through a private workout (yet?) but the team needs help at running back. McCaffrey is not only one of the best running back prospects from this year’s class; he also brings value as a pass catcher.
One of ESPN’s latest mock drafts has the Eagles picking McCaffrey at No. 14. Personally, I really don’t believe that’s likely. I’d say there’s like a 99% chance the Eagles don’t take a running back based on the history of how they value the position. Not to mention the fact the team might feel like they can get one later on in this year’s deep draft class. (And then there’s that rumor the Eagles will take a defensive lineman in the first round.)
For more on McCaffrey, check out BGN draft writer Ben Natan’s scouting report on him. McCaffrey has drawn a lot of comparisons to a certain former Eagles running back.
NFL Comparison: It is hard not to have Brian Westbrook flashbacks when watching Christian McCaffrey. Both were smaller backs who may not have had blazing speed, but were so quick and had such great vision it made them dynamic runners. Also similar to Westbrook, McCaffrey is the type of player who could be a 100 catch wide receiver as well as a running back and his third down ability and versatility makes him so valuable to an offense. McCaffrey has been a star on special teams during his time at Stanford and, like Westbrook, that is a wrinkle in his skill set that may make him even more of a commodity on draft day.
Christian McCaffrey spider graph: