The early returns on Christian McCaffrey are nothing short of intriguing.
The Panthers rookie running back has dazzled onlookers during his first training camp -- and his teammates have taken notice.
"He's pretty unstoppable as far as coming out of the backfield running routes," veteran running back Jonathan Stewart said Sunday, per The Charlotte Observer. "I can tell you now there's not going to be anybody in this league that can cover him 1-on-1."
The 5-foot-11, 205-pound McCaffrey sits at the center of Carolina's plan to give quarterback Cam Newton a fresh cadre of versatile, pass-catching weapons. The former Stanford star has been seen during practice hauling down a rash of "short passes and screens" and drawing "oohs and ahs from fans," per ESPN's David Newton.
The Observer noted the same on Sunday as McCaffrey juked linebacker Shaq Thompson during a one-on one drill, leaving Stewart to praise the rookie's "deadly" abilities in space.
"He's a special player," Stewart said. "[Offensive coordinator Mike] Shula has definitely found some pretty good ways to put him in positions to win."
We need to see this happen during games that matter, but the buzz surrounding McCaffrey is picking up major steam. He's a large part of the reason why Newton and the Panthers appear primed for a bounce-back campaign in 2017.
