ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler publishes an annual positional rankings list in which he talks to coaches and executives from around the league. They did running backs on Monday, so San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was inevitably going to be on the list. The only question was where he’d be ranked.
Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Saquon Barkley were the top three backs. McCaffrey, who was ranked fifth last year, was fourth this year. One person even voted him as high as No. 1:
Highest ranking:
1 | Lowest ranking: Unranked Age: 30 | Last year’s ranking: 5
McCaffrey kept a tight pace with Barkley for the third spot but received more votes outside of the top five than he usually does.
In 2025, McCaffrey posted his third career season with at least 2,000 scrimmage yards, tied for fourth most by a running back in NFL history. He needed a league-high 413 touches to do it.
McCaffrey’s 3.9 yards per carry was his lowest full-season clip since his rookie year in 2017. One factor: The 49ers ranked 29th in rushing yards before contact (2.04).
“He’s declined some — I think you will see more juice if he doesn’t have to be the focal point of both the run and pass game,” an NFC executive said. “But he’s such an elite overall player with versatility who takes care of himself that he can be a top guy for at least one more year.”
You can’t mention McCaffrey without bringing up the 49ers’ yards before contact stat. Kyle Shanahan has hinted at it, but a “less is more” year would make plenty of sense after a heavy workload last year.
For example, if the 49ers have a big lead and are closing out games, why not give those carries to Jordan James or Kaelon Black? Shanahan didn’t trust Brian Robinson in the passing game or as a runner, or else we would’ve seen more of McCaffrey’s backup last season. He’s going to have to give one of the young backs a leash this season, if only to keep McCaffrey fresh and healthy for the duration of the season.
Is No. 5 for McCaffrey fair? The backs after him were Jonathan Taylor, Derrick Henry, James Cook, De’Von Achane, Kenneth Walker, and Breece Hall. McCaffrey’s ability in the passing game makes it difficult to rank him lower than five, so it feels like an accurate ranking.
