Panthers' Christian McCaffrey: Picked by Carolina

The Panthers selected McCaffrey in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, eighth overall.

Analysis:

McCaffrey (5-foot-11, 202 pounds) may technically remain behind Jonathan Stewart on the depth chart for the duration of 2017, but in terms of touches and almost certainly in terms of production from scrimmage, McCaffrey should function as Carolina's top running back going forward. If not his talent, then the magnitude of the investment in him made by the Panthers all but dictates this. After totaling 5,128 yards and 31 touchdowns from scrimmage in 37 career games, demonstrating truly rare pass-catching ability in the process, McCaffrey is set to make a significant Year 1 impact for the Panthers. Particularly in PPR scoring, he could land in the RB2 category by the time 2017 fantasy drafts fire up.