San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey climbed 67 spots in NFL Network's Top 100 for 2026, landing at No. 6 after a season that reestablished him as one of the league's most valuable non-quarterbacks.
McCaffrey put together a workhorse campaign this past season, rushing for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns on 311 carries while also leading San Francisco in receptions (102) and receiving yards (924) for seven more scores. That combination gave McCaffrey a franchise-record 413 touches and made him the engine of an offense that reached the divisional round despite a rash of injuries elsewhere on the roster.
It also made him just the second player in NFL history to post 2,000-plus scrimmage yards and 100-plus catches in a season more
than once, joining Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson, who did it in 2003. McCaffrey first hit that mark in 2019 and repeated it in 2025 — the same season he was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Teammates who voted McCaffrey into the Top 100 didn't hesitate to explain why. George Kittle put him at No. 1 on his ballot.
No. 6 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026…@49ers RB Christian McCaffrey! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/KKJZlBNLFU
— NFL (@NFL) August 28, 2026
"Everything he does has a purpose," Kittle said. "It's how he stretches, how he warms up. His intent is to be an incredible football player and to be reliable. He touches the ball 30 times a game," Kittle said.
Left tackle Trent Williams called McCaffrey a "unicorn," pointing to a third-and-long conversion in Arizona where McCaffrey out-jumped a defender for a contested catch: "It was like he, you know, played receiver his whole life."
McCaffrey, now a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro, remains the focal point of Kyle Shanahan's offense entering 2026 — and the Top 100 vote suggests his peers see no signs of that changing.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Christian McCaffrey jumps to No. 6 in NFL's Top 100 after monster 2025
