[MustardtheBallCarrier]

I have little doubt that a player of McCaffrey's caliber will find his way onto an NFL team.  Although his greatest asset (versatility) doesn't count for as much in the NFL, one could see him drafted in the mid-rounds by teams with the knowledge that they'd be able to get him on the field as a returner and either in the slot or as a sometimes running back.  Ironically, the player I see him most like is Ty Montgomery.  They have similar size (6'0") and though Montgomery has about 5-10 lbs on McCaffrey, by the time hie is drafted they could be very similar in that regard.  They also shared a lot of versatility, with Montgomery at wideout, returning kicks, and occasionally running the Wildcat. In college, McCaffrey is a running back first, receiver second, but in the pros I could see them having a similar role. Ty was a third round pick, which sounds about right for McCaffrey, despite the latter's much greater college production.  The biggest similarity was that they were both playmakers and guys you wanted to see have the ball.

The relevance of this is Ed McCaffrey's comment that, "I would encourage players who know that they are going to be drafted in the first or second round to leave early and take advantage of that opportunity."  I'm no draft expert, but I just don't see McCaffrey getting drafted in the first or second round.  Running backs as a general rule don't, unless they are unique.  And slot receivers as a rule don't (the two that were brought up earlier in the thread, Welker was an undrafted free agent and Edelman was a seventh round pick; by the way, both those guys are a couple inches shorter than McCaffrey; as I said, I think Ty Montgomery, who was drafted in the third round, is probably a closer match).

BC

Interesting comparison.  Agree with you on the kick returning ability and versatility, but otherwise I see them almost as opposites, ironically.  Ty was a WR who couldn't run routes to get open or catch the ball reliably*, and, as it turned out from the combine, isn't all that fast (relatively speaking).  His greatest attribute was actually his strength and power.  Others on this board have made the same point and I totally agree, that Ty was actually much better suited to be our RB last year.  Ty was such a tough, physical runner as a WR.  The question about McCaffrey coming into this year (and for his future as an NFL RB) is/was his strength and power (he of course proved this season he has enough to succeed running between the tackles at the college level).  I suspect that falling out of bed his senior year of HS, McCaffrey was a more developed pass-catcher than Ty, which is where I think McCaffrey's NFL future is.  Full disclosure: my head exploded when I heard Ty went in the third round (at least what was left of it after Jordan Richards was taken in the second round). 

*I was watching the SF-GB game earlier this season.  First offensive play of the game for GB, Rodgers bootlegs hard to the right and on the dead run while evading a defender flicks his wrist to send a laser deep down field to Ty.  One of those throws that only Rodgers can make.  I swear you could hear it on TV hit Ty's hands and drop. 

[MustardtheBallCarrier]

I have little doubt that a player of McCaffrey's caliber will find his way onto an NFL team.  Although his greatest asset (versatility) doesn't count for as much in the NFL, one could see him drafted in the mid-rounds by teams with the knowledge that they'd be able to get him on the field as a returner and either in the slot or as a sometimes running back.  Ironically, the player I see him most like is Ty Montgomery.  They have similar size (6'0") and though Montgomery has about 5-10 lbs on McCaffrey, by the time hie is drafted they could be very similar in that regard.  They also shared a lot of versatility, with Montgomery at wideout, returning kicks, and occasionally running the Wildcat. In college, McCaffrey is a running back first, receiver second, but in the pros I could see them having a similar role. Ty was a third round pick, which sounds about right for McCaffrey, despite the latter's much greater college production.  The biggest similarity was that they were both playmakers and guys you wanted to see have the ball.

The relevance of this is Ed McCaffrey's comment that, "I would encourage players who know that they are going to be drafted in the first or second round to leave early and take advantage of that opportunity."  I'm no draft expert, but I just don't see McCaffrey getting drafted in the first or second round.  Running backs as a general rule don't, unless they are unique.  And slot receivers as a rule don't (the two that were brought up earlier in the thread, Welker was an undrafted free agent and Edelman was a seventh round pick; by the way, both those guys are a couple inches shorter than McCaffrey; as I said, I think Ty Montgomery, who was drafted in the third round, is probably a closer match).

BC

Interesting comparison.  Agree with you on the kick returning ability and versatility, but otherwise I see them almost as opposites, ironically.  Ty was a WR who couldn't run routes to get open or catch the ball reliably*, and, as it turned out from the combine, isn't all that fast (relatively speaking).  His greatest attribute was actually his strength and power.  Others on this board have made the same point and I totally agree, that Ty was actually much better suited to be our RB last year.  Ty was such a tough, physical runner as a WR.  The question about McCaffrey coming into this year (and for his future as an NFL RB) is/was his strength and power (he of course proved this season he has enough to succeed running between the tackles at the college level).  I suspect that falling out of bed his senior year of HS, McCaffrey was a more developed pass-catcher than Ty, which is where I think McCaffrey's NFL future is.  Full disclosure: my head exploded when I heard Ty went in the third round (at least what was left of it after Jordan Richards was taken in the second round). 

*I was watching the SF-GB game earlier this season.  First offensive play of the game for GB, Rodgers bootlegs hard to the right and on the dead run while evading a defender flicks his wrist to send a laser deep down field to Ty.  One of those throws that only Rodgers can make.  I swear you could hear it on TV hit Ty's hands and drop.