The San Francisco 49ers sent shockwaves through the NFL world last night, as it was reported that they had acquired star running back Christian McCaffrey in a trade with the Carolina Panthers.
The Niners gave up second-, third-, and fourth-round picks in 2023, as well as a fifth-rounder in 2024 in exchange for the 26-year-old back.
McCaffrey spent five-and-a-half seasons in Carolina after being drafted by the team in 2017 with the eighth-overall pick. Earlier this morning, he said goodbye to the only NFL team and fanbase he had ever known.
Through six games this season, Run CMC has 393 rushing yards, 277 receiving yards, and three total touchdowns.
He’ll now join a San Francisco 49ers team that is fully expected to compete for a Super Bowl. The Niners already had a deep backfield when healthy, with the likes of Elijah Mitchell, Jeff Wilson Jr., Tevin Coleman, and third-round rookie Tyrion Davis-Price.
It’s fully expected that McCaffrey will ascend to the top of that depth chart immediately and command most of the touches in the 49ers backfield. That could be a scary thought for 31 other teams, considering how formidable the Niners’ ground game has been with much lesser talents during the Kyle Shanahan era.
