NFL Combine 2017: Myles Garrett, Joe Mixon and 4 other winners

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford

To make a winners list from the NFL Combine and not include Christian McCaffrey would be to miss one of the weekend’s biggest storylines. Dalvin Cook had a nice enough 40-yard time but didn’t look so hot anywhere else. Leonard Fournette turned heads as expected with a great 40-yard dash time even at 240 pounds. There’s no way to stop Fournette from being the first running back taken in the NFL Draft, but second place is up for grabs, and McCaffrey’s great weekend proved that he likely deserves that spot, even over Cook.

Whether or not teams are interested enough in upgrading at running back in the first round will be the biggest question to answer — not necessarily anyting about the stock of McCaffrey himself. The Stanford product showed enough skills that he should be the second player off the board from the position. However, in such a deep class of backs, teams likely know they should grab the limited assets early and hit running back later. It’s a simple case of supply and demand.

But McCaffrey supplies something very special, the sort of player who can line up wide or behind the quarterback. For an offensive coordinator who just wants a versatile piece to add to complicate his offense (and to devastate opposing defenses), McCaffrey is a nice bet near the end of the first or top of the second.