SANTA CLARA — Christian McCaffrey’s mid-season arrival dramatically changed the 49ers' offense, but one of his coaches believes the All-Pro hasn’t even reached his full potential yet.
San Francisco's running backs coach, Anthony Lynn, spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area and shared why he believes McCaffrey will be even more dynamic in his second season in the Bay Area.
“He is a student of the game and he works his tail off,” Lynch said on Thursday. “Right now things are coming to him a lot faster than they did last year because he wasn’t familiar with the system. I’m just looking forward to where he can go next because he looks game-ready right now.”
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Organized team activities (OTAs) include 11-on-11 drills with players not wearing pads, yet McCaffrey has been seen running at a blistering speed through the tackles. Lynn believes that has an influence not only on the running backs room but throughout the entire roster and staff.
“He leads by example and when you see one of your best players practicing and performing like that it elevates the whole team and even the coaching staff,” Lynn said.
McCaffrey was traded to the 49ers just prior to Week 7 of the 2022 season and outside of the team's loss that week to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Stanford product’s arrival assisted a powerful shift in the 49ers' chemistry.
The 49ers did not lose another contest until the NFC Championship game 13 weeks later, and McCaffrey was one of the reasons why.
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In his 11 regular season appearances for the 49ers, the six-year veteran recorded 159 carries for 746 yards and six touchdowns, as well as 52 receptions for 464 yards and an additional four receiving touchdowns.
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McCaffrey’s 1,139 total yards rushing in 2022 was his third 1,000-yard season since being drafted as the No. 8 overall selection of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. Lynn believes there is more to come.
With an entire offseason studying the playbook, McCaffrey seems to be chomping at the bit for the regular season to start and his potential to help coach Kyle Shanahan wreak havoc on opposing defenses is high.