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Panthers GM: Fournette, McCaffrey both fit our scheme

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Sitting at No. 8 overall in the draft, the Carolina Panthers are well-positioned to land one of this year's top running back prospects to pair with veteran Jonathan Stewart.

Leonard Fournette's throwback, downhill style has made him a favorite to go to the Panthers among mock drafters, while the versatile Christian McCaffrey has also been mentioned as an attractive option for Carolina.

Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman believes either player could slot well into his team's offense despite significant differences in their skill sets.

"They fit ... Christian has a different style from Leonard, there's no doubt about it," Gettleman said Friday, according to NFL.com's Kevin Patra. "Completely different style. And by the way, Leonard has really good hands, he catches the rock now. But that's part of the process that you're in. When you're in the draft room, when we sit there with the coaches, we talk about fit. Does this guy really fit what we want to do? So we're not afraid to ask that question, we're not afraid to move guys around the board based on the answer to that question. So, I mean, they both fit with different styles."

While Fournette has been criticized for his inexperience as a receiver, McCaffrey's doubters have pointed to his relatively small size, arguing he former Stanford product won't be able to hold up as a featured back.

"The last two years he's rushed the ball for 650 and he's caught another 90 balls," Gettleman said. "So that right there - he can run it, he can catch it - I guess that's three downs ... He's certainly shown he can carry the load at Stanford."

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