The only offensive player I would be happy with in RND 1

[legend of polamalu]

CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY RB STANFORD

I just believe with him in the slot or at RB spelling Bell it would be a great assest and biggest impact for the next 2 years while we still have Ben.

Trust me I want that OLB or CB in RND 1...But how much of an impact will he have in Ben's final 2 years?

I don't want a QB round 1 but I wouldn't be upset with this pick.
Thoughts?

[Rara]

Obvious pass. Why waste a first round pick on a running back? Kind of insulting to Bell, no? Plus.. there are better running backs that will be available on day 2 or 3.

[Captain Lemming]

CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY RB STANFORD

I just believe with him in the slot or at RB spelling.......

What is wrong with you people.
Until this is a stinkin dynasty with HOFers everywhere, I don't want the purpose of a first round pick to be "spelling" anybody, much less THE BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE at his position.
We have horrid STARTERS that need replacing.

[The Man of Steel]

If McCaffrey is still on the board and the Steelers pass on him you can be sure that the Patriots will end up drafting him and I think we can all agree that that would really be a bad thing for the rest of the league.

[Iron City Inc.]

If McCaffrey is still on the board and the Steelers pass on him you can be sure that the Patriots will end up drafting him and I think we can all agree that that would really be a bad thing for the rest of the league.

Pats no longer have 32nd pick. I would pass on McCaf for obvious reasons.

[SteelCrazy]

Belicheat* could build a dynasty with 6th rounders, 7th rounders, and UDFAs....Can't go into a draft picking someone so another team doesn't take him....Pass on McCaff....

[Slapstick]

I don't want the purpose of a first round pick to be "spelling" anybody, much less THE BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE at his position.

...who, for some reason, never seems to be available when the Steelers need him in the playoffs...

Perhaps if he were spelled a little more, he would have a better chance to continue playing in the postseason...

[Sugar]

...who, for some reason, never seems to be available when the Steelers need him in the playoffs...

Perhaps if he were spelled a little more, he would have a better chance to continue playing in the postseason...

The thing is, the Steelers don't "spell him." They had a fantastic back in Williams. He was actually the leading rusher in the league early in the year. As soon as Bell got back, Williams disappeared. It's an interesting theory, but it isn't the way the Steelers work.

[Shawn]

I would take issue with RB in the first round. I would take even more issue if we passed on Mixon to grab McCaffrey.

[feltdizz]

2nd round I would be less angry if we went RB and used him. However, if we keep our current philosophy I would prefer a RB in the 4th

[BradshawsHairdresser]

The thing is, the Steelers don't "spell him." They had a fantastic back in Williams. He was actually the leading rusher in the league early in the year. As soon as Bell got back, Williams disappeared. It's an interesting theory, but it isn't the way the Steelers work.

This.

Not much sense in taking a first-round RB to ride the bench when you can get players you can plug in and have contributing right away.

[RuthlessBurgher]

CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY RB STANFORD

I just believe with him in the slot or at RB spelling Bell it would be a great assest and biggest impact for the next 2 years while we still have Ben.

Trust me I want that OLB or CB in RND 1...But how much of an impact will he have in Ben's final 2 years?

I don't want a QB round 1 but I wouldn't be upset with this pick.
Thoughts?

McCaffrey was my first round target in my very first mock draft I made back in January (http://www.planetsteelers.com/forums/showthread.php/46368-RuthlessBurgher-s-Initial-Offseason-Mock-Draft-1-0-prior-to-the-Super-Bowl)

Back then, I justified the pick as such (on page 4 of that thread):

1. RB Christian McCaffrey, 6'0" 202 lbs., Stanford

Le'Veon Bell is obviously awesome, but he's currently a free agent and hasn't been the most reliable guy in the world in terms of health and drug related suspensions. We will keep Bell for at least another year via the franchise tag, but after that who knows. Maybe they use the franchise tag a second time, or maybe he gets a multiyear extension. DeAngelo is already the oldest RB in the league and a free agent himself. Fitzy Touissant is obviously nothing special, and Karlos Williams celebrated his strong rookie year in Buffalo by getting high and getting fat. Having 2 high priced RB is dumb (see Carolina signing both DeAngelo and Jon Stewart to big money deals) but McCaffrey will be playing under an affordable rookie deal for 4-5 years, and by the time we'd have to decide about a second contract for him, it will be time to move on from Bell anyway. Bell and McCaffrey already have a good working relationship as Christian sends his Stanford game tapes for Le'Veon to critique. LB has referred to CM as "my guy" since they possess many similar talents in terms of their rushing, catching, blocking, and route running abilities both from the backfield or out of the slot. Although CM is not nearly the physical speciman than LB is, the kid's obviously a hard worker and should put in whatever effort it would take to improve himself. He seems like a guy who could fill in well for Bell if he is injured or just needs a breather, but it's not like McCaffrey would be a complete waste if we continue to overuse Bell, because they can both be used on the field at the same time at multiple different positions and still be effective. Hopefully the addition of someone like CM prevents MT from feeling like he has to "run the wheels off" LB, thereby making him more effective as games go on (and as the season wears on) if he is fresher.

Then, during the combine, posters were questioning that potential pick when he only put up 225 lbs. 10 times in the bench press, questioning if he could be trusted to protect Ben and suggesting that he would only be worth a 3rd round pick or later (http://www.planetsteelers.com/forums/showthread.php/46426-You-guys-still-want-McCaffrey-in-the-first-2-rounds).

When he dominated the other combine workouts and was running routes better than the WR prospects, I doubled down by posting this (on the 4th page of that thread):

Yeah...the most important combine drill for RB's is the 3 cone (used to measure agility, flexibility and change of direction...skills that translate directly to the football field), and he absolutely blew the doors off that one. His 6.57 was the best time for RB's in years. There were only 4 other RB's who had a 3 cone time under 7 seconds, and their times were 6.82, 6.86, 6.93, and 6.99). Dalvin Cook (another RB projected to go in the first round) had a 7.27.

In the shuttle (measuring agility and lateral movement, requiring burst, bend and lateral range), he once again finished as the best RB in this class with 11.03 in the 60 yard version (there were only 6 other RB's who ran it in under 12 seconds, and their times were 11.29, 11.53, 11.71, 11.75, 11.78, and 11.84). In the 20 yard version he finished 4th in a tight group in 4.22 seconds (the top 3 times were 4.18, 4.19, and 4.20, and the only other sub-4.3 times were two guys who tied with 4.28 seconds).

In the vertical jump (measuring lower body explosion and leaping ability), he tied for 2nd among RB's with 37.5 inches.

In the 40 (measuring vertical speed and acceleration), he tied for 4th among RB's with a time of 4.48 seconds.

A subpar bench press for a RB would only be a red flag if you thought a guy was lazy and avoiding the weight room, which is the furthest thing from the truth for McCaffrey.

The reason that I like this kid in particular is because he wouldn't sit on the bench and rot if Le'Veon never leaves the field. He could return punts, return kicks, be a slot receiver, motion in or out of the backfield, and be insurance in case Bell gets injured or suspended again.

People in this thread suggesting that he's a 3rd round prospect aren't paying attention. At this point, it would appear that he's a top 25 type of guy who might not even be available to us at #30 anyway.

So, yeah...I'm a McCaffrey fan. Think he comes off the board in the mid-first, though, probably in the 14-20 range or so (Indy, Philly, Washington, Tampa, Denver)

[Oviedo]

CM wouldn't be a bad pick at #30. He could get on the field a lot of different ways not just at RB...put him in the slot, split him out, kick returns, punt returns. Consider this, he could essentially be the best WR on the team not named AB (not counting on Bryant yet as a long term solution). Look at what the Pats have done with super quick WRs getting short passes and yards after the catch.

This draft is deep at both Safety and EDGE rushers both of which we need so if CM is there I would not be surprised if we took him.

[Oviedo]

Just posted today

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2017-nfl-mock-drafts-profiles-video-clips-highlights-steelers-analysis-breakdowns-news/2017/4/5/15156806/christian-mccaffrey-and-the-steelers-would-make-a-great-pair-stanford-2017-nfl-draft

[RuthlessBurgher]

I see McCaffrey as a latter day Brian Westbrook. Running back, wideout, returner, line him up anywhere and he'll produce. Even if Le'Veon never leaves the field, there would still be a spot McCaffrey could occupy somewhere between the white lines rather than rotting on the bench like most backup RB options behind a dominant workhorse back.