Christian McCaffrey, the running back out of Stanford, said on Thursday that he expects to meet with both the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders while at the NFL Scouting Combine. He has already met with John Elway and the Denver Broncos. Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara stated that he has already met with the 49ers.
At combine, Stanford's @CMccaffrey5 has met with #Broncos and will do so with #49ers #Raiders pic.twitter.com/rsbkGG4Qz4
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) March 2, 2017
McCaffrey is the son of former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, who played for the New York Giants, 49ers, and Broncos. In 2015, McCaffrey was a contender for the Heisman Trophy when he rushed for 2,019 yards and eight touchdowns. He also caught 45 passes for 645 yards. In 2016, McCaffrey rushed for 1,603 yards and 13 touchdowns.
In December, McCaffrey made the controversial decision to not take part in the Sun Bowl with his Stanford teammates in an effort to prepare for the 2017 NFL Draft.
On Thursday, 49ers general manager John Lynch stepped up to the podium at the NFL Scouting Combine to answer questions from the press. "As a Stanford fan, I wasn't a huge fan of that," Lynch said of McCaffrey. "We could have used him but they did alright without him too. I think you understand their perspective but don't necessarily think it's a positive thing for college football. This is such a team sport and when you step back from that -- I know there's people that I've talked to here that that really bothers."
"I think it will affect football going forward for many years to come," Lynch added.
In 11 games in 2016, Kamara had 103 rushing attempts for 596 yards, averaging 5.8 yards per carry and nine touchdowns. He also added 40 receptions for 392 yards and four touchdowns. In 2015, Kamara rushed for 698 yards and seven touchdowns. He added 291 yards receiving that season.
The 49ers currently have Carlos Hyde penciled in as the team's starter and both Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke highly of him this week. A recent rumor circulating in Indianapolis is that the 49ers are also high on LSU RB Leonard Fournette, who is considered to be the top running back in the draft. It would seem that the 49ers are taking a close look at the running back position during the NFL Scouting Combine. San Francisco has taken a running back every year in the draft since 2009.
Running backs will run the 40-yard dash on Friday.