The Green Bay Packers ended the season on a sour note, falling to the Falcons in the NFC championship game. But that shouldn't distract fans from the fact that the Packers made it there after starting the year 4-6. Along the way, wide receiver hybrid Ty Montgomery emerged as the team's main rushing option. Now that Eddie Lacy is a free agent, there are questions surrounding the position. Would the Packers choose a running back in the first round?
Christian McCaffrey.
By all accounts, the Stanford running back is a beast. He was a perennial Heisman candidate and racked up big stats in the past two seasons.
In 2015 alone, McCaffrey had more than 2000 rushing yards and 13 total touchdowns. Two thousand! In 2016, a drop-off in production meant that Christian recorded only 1600 rushing yards and 16 total touchdowns. Those numbers and statistics are staggering.
Thanks to his jaw dropping stat lines, draft pundits suggest that McCaffrey could be selected as early as the first round. Green Bay would either have to select him in the first round to get him, or not draft him at all. McCaffrey is the type of player who would easily fit in the Green Bay offense. He's versatile, and can easily catch passes out of the backfield, something that Eddie Lacy certainly would not be as elite in. That versatility would allow the Packers to run the three and four wide receiver sets they love with a quality player like McCaffrey on the field.
Alternatives.
The Packers do not have to draft a running back and might be better served selecting a defensive player in the first round. The Falcons exposed the weak Packers secondary in the playoffs last season and Green Bay may wish to prioritize that side of the ball instead of improving an offense that is already one of the best in the NFL.
Even if the Packers do not draft Christian McCaffrey, there are several different options. The Packers could simply place their faith in Eddie Lacy and re-sign him. They could sign former Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, former Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles, or Latavius Murray. Or the Packers could simply draft a running back late instead of taking one early.
If the Packers did choose to draft Christian McCaffrey, they would receive one of the more solid and dynamic players in the draft, but it would make more sense to focus on defense before addressing the problems of an offense that already has Aaron Rodgers on it.
