Before the article really starts, something needs to be said. It is October. The NFL season isn’t even halfway over, and while scouts are keeping an eye on college football, it’s nowhere near draft season. The Oakland Raiders are currently 4-2. This is a scary place to be because the difference between 4-3 and 5-2 is bigger than you’d think. We don’t even know where the Oakland Raiders will be picking next spring, but one thing is for certain. The Oakland Raiders should draft Christian McCaffrey, the explosive running back out of Stanford University.
The Oakland Raiders Should Draft Christian McCaffrey
Oakland’s rushing problems are well documented. Latavius Murray has been an acceptable back, and the rookie rushing duo of DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard have shown flashes. Unfortunately, the trio of talented ball-carriers haven’t really broken out yet. It’s true that injuries to Menelik Watson, Austin Howard, Matt McCants, and Vadal Alexander have hurt the Raider rushers, but the team needs a star back. With Murray’s contract expiring at the end of this season, it couldn’t hurt for the Raiders to draft a new feature back.
The Dallas Dichotomy
If you asked ten NFL experts who the two best offensive lines in the country were, they would say the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders. And it’s easy to see why. Through free agency and the draft, the two teams have put together two of the best units in the NFL. Dallas’ offensive line has kept Dak Prescott‘s jersey clean, and rookie rusher Ezekiel Elliott leads the league in rushing. Meanwhile in Oakland, Derek Carr is the NFL’s least sacked quarterback.
So, what’s the difference? How come Elliott is leading the league in rushing, and the duo of Washington and Richards only have a combined 394 yards after six games? It’s true that they’ve taken half as many carries as Elliott, but it’s also true that Elliott has had fewer negative carries. Dallas has no problem leaning on their rookie rusher, but the Raiders can’t lean on either of theirs.
Why not? Because Ezekiel Elliott is a special player. He was taken as high as he was for a reason. At Ohio State, Elliott racked up 4,410 total yards and 44 total touchdowns in just three seasons. That’s exceptional, and it’s easy to see why they drafted him in the first round.
Magnificent McCafrrey
McCaffrey’s stat-line hasn’t been as dominant… over the course of his collegiate career. As a freshman, he only touched the ball 59 times. However, with those 59 touches, he managed to get 551 yards and two touchdowns. That’s more than nine yards a touch. Of course, anyone can look good with a small enough sample size.
That’s why his sophomore season was truly sensational. In order to really understand how phenomenal Christian McCaffrey’s 2015 was, you have to break down what he did into three categories.
Rushing
Last season, Christian McCaffrey ran the ball 337 times for 2,019 yards and eight touchdowns. He was only 200 yards short of Alabama’s Derrick Henry, who led the country in rushing yards. Of course, it’s worth noting that Henry and the Crimson Tide played in the National Championship, in a game where he rushed the ball 36 times. In fact, Henry ran the ball 58 more times than McCaffrey did. If McCaffrey maintained his pace, he would’ve out-rushed Henry by 148 yards, which curiously, is exactly what Henry averaged a game. But, he didn’t. So Henry won the rushing title, as well as the Heisman Trophy.
Receiving
While McCaffrey is a running back, he’s very capable out of the backfield. So capable in fact, that some experts are saying he should convert to wide receiver in the pros. Well, that and they doubt that at 6’0, 200 pounds, he has the build to last 16 games at tailback.
Regardless, McCaffrey also led the team in receiving. He caught 45 balls for 645 yards and five touchdowns. This is no surprise, his father was Denver Broncos receiver Ed McCaffrey. In fact, his brother, Max McCaffrey spent the preseason with the Raiders before being cut. Anyway, Christian McCaffrey is as dynamic between the tackles as he is out of the backfield.
Returning
Christian McCaffrey returned 52 punts and kickoffs in 2015, and it was scary what he could do with the ball in open space. He ended up with 1,200 return yards and two touchdowns. While Jalen Richard has done a decent job returning kicks for the Raiders this year, there’s nothing wrong with having multiple returners that are capable of breaking off big plays. Before Richard showed up, the Raiders hadn’t really had a returner since the legendary Tim Brown retired.
Speaking of Legends
As you can see, McCaffrey is a dynamic player that is capable of making plays pretty much anywhere. That year, McCaffrey was responsible for 3,864 yards from scrimmage. That’s nearly 4,000 total yards in one season for a non-quarterback. If that sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. It absolutely shattered the previous record for yards from scrimmage.
McCaffrey had 614 more yards than the previous record of 3,250. The man that set that record? He was just this little-known running back out of Oklahoma State by the name of Barry Sanders. You may have heard of him, he’s considered by many to be the greatest running back of all time.
Fast Forward to 2016
While it’s true that injuries have slowed Christian McCaffrey’s roll, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. His surrounding talent has been less that satisfactory, and there’s been a ton of pressure on the second generation football star to carry the team. Injuries and tough defenses have slowed him down, but McCaffrey is still averaging about six yards every time he touches the ball, and he hasn’t lost his step in the return game.
A bad year for McCaffrey could be good news for the Raiders. If McCaffrey has a bad year, his draft stock will suffer, and he might be available later on. There hasn’t been as much emphasis on selecting running backs in the first round, especially not ones coming off of bad seasons. While the team has struggled in other areas, adding another dimension to the offense could be a game-changer. The Raiders do have bigger needs, specifically on defense, but there’s a chance the Stanford star is available in the second round. The Oakland Raiders should draft Christian McCaffrey because they could add a dynamic weapon to the offense and special teams.
Maybe he becomes a generational tailback like Marcus Allen or Bo Jackson. Maybe he becomes a swiss army knife player like Julian Edelman or Darren Sproles. And maybe he isn’t anything more than a returner like Devin Hester. Regardless, he brings explosion to the table, and if at all possible, the Oakland Raiders should draft Christian McCaffrey.
