Christian McCaffery might have been linked to the Packers in several mock drafts, but there's a pretty good chance the star running back won't last that long. It's been reported by several outlets that a NFL team in the teens has promised Christian McCaffery that they will draft him if he's still on the board. Let's figure out which teams might consider drafting the Stanford star.
Elimination.
The Buffalo Bills, who pick 10th and already have star running back LeSean McCoy, are not drafting McCaffery. The Saints, who have a running back in Mark Ingram and glaring needs on defense, aren't going to pick him either.
The Cleveland Browns, who pick 12th, might consider McCaffery, but it's hard to believe they wouldn't address another position of need.
The Cardinals, who select 13th, have no need for a player like McCaffery with David Johnson on the roster. The Eagles, who select 14th, already have both Ryan Matthews and Darren Sproles on the roster. In addition, they drafted running back Wendell Smallwood last season. The Tennessee Titans, who pick 18th, drafted Derrick Henry and already have one of the better backs in the league in DeMarco Murray. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who select 19th, already have Doug Martin and Charles Sims, a solid running back tandem that doesn't need a player like Christian McCaffery.
That leaves three teams.
Indianapolis Colts.
The Colts select 15th in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft. They would likely be the first team to draft Christian McCaffery, and he would be a perfect fit. The Stanford product would fit right in with Andrew Luck and give him a dual threat option at the position.
The current starter for the Colts is 33 year old Frank Gore and his backup is Robert Turbin.
The Colts need to both get younger and get an upgrade at the position. McCaffery would provide both if Indianapolis selected him with the 15th pick in the draft.
Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens rushing attack was nothing short of a disaster in 2017. Their leading rusher was Terrance West, who recorded just over 750 rushing yards in 2017, but it was a mixed bag of results.
West averaged less than 50 rushing yards per game and was inconsistent throughout the season.
The reason why the Ravens may not select McCaffery in the first round is the presence of Kenneth Dixon. Dixon was injured during the 2017 season and missed time, but the Ravens were expecting more than just shy of 400 rushing yards from the fourth round pick. However, Dixon has been suspended for the first four games of the NFL season, which increases the chance that the Ravens would spend a pick on a player like McCaffery.
Washington Redskins.
The Redskins thought they had found their answer at running back in Matt Jones, but he was benched last season after inconsistent play and fumbling issues. He would be replaced by Robert Kelley, who ended the season with 700 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
The rushing attack isn't a huge part of what The Redskins do, but an improved rushing attack would help ease some of the burden on Kirk Cousins and the running backs. Still, it's hard to believe that the Redskins would really spend a draft pick on a running back like McCaffery with issues on defense.
These three teams are the ones in the teens that are probably most interested in drafting McCaffery, and the Colts seem like the most likely landing spot for the Stanford graduate. We will see what happens at the start of the 2017 NFL draft.
