Is San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey a top-5 RB?

NFL training camps are underway, and ESPN surveyed league executives, coaches, and scouts to rank the top ten players at eleven positions. How many San Francisco 49ers were included in the top ten of their respective positions?

49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has been ranked as the fifth-best running back in the NFL by a poll of executives, coaches, scouts, and others who are currently plugged into the game.

McCaffrey, 29, only appeared in four games during the 2024 season after missing the first eight weeks due to Achilles injuries.

The three-time Pro Bolwer rushed for 202 yards and didn’t score a touchdown over his four appearances before suffering a knee injury on December 1st, which shut him down for the remainder of the season.

McCaffrey will look to bounce back in 2025 and post numbers that resemble what he did in 2023: 1,459 rushing yards and 21 all-purpose touchdowns.

NFL Top 100 Players of 2025:@49ers RB Christian McCaffrey lands at No. 73! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/nlJQutKwhm

— NFL (@NFL) July 17, 2025

Durability is the one thing holding McCaffrey back. He has missed 10 or more games in three of his past five NFL seasons.

“He’s a great player, but he’s always had durability issues, even in college,” an NFL personnel executive said. “He’s an elite trainer and takes great care of himself. He’s just not a big body and will lose a step eventually.”

A return to 2023 form would put McCaffrey back in the MVP conversation. When he’s healthy, he always produces.

In fact, McCaffrey has four seasons with at least 1,800 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns. The only players with more are all Hall of Famers: Tomlinson, Marshall Faulk, Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton (five each).

Since 2006, two players have at least 2,000 scrimmage yards and 25 touchdowns in a season (plus playoffs): McCaffrey in 2023 and Tomlinson in 2006.

“He’s still the prototype — and the best player on the field at times,” an NFC scout said.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler – July 2025

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For the second straight year, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner has been ranked as the top linebacker in the NFL by a poll of executives, coaches, scouts, and others who are currently plugged into the game.

Warner, 28, is entering his eighth season with the San Francisco 49ers and has been named to four Pro Bowl teams (2020, 2022-2024), while also receiving four first-team All-Pro nods (2020, 2022-2024).

In 2024, Warner racked up 131 total tackles, including 76 solo tackles and one sack. The BYU product also returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown.

Warner — recipient of four All-Pro first teams in five years — dominated the voting with more than 80% of the first-place votes.

He’s durable, only sitting out one game in his seven-year career. He has three straight seasons with at least 130 tackles and seven pass deflections, highlighting his pass-game prowess. He also has back-to-back years of four forced fumbles.

He’s considered the best defensive game manager in the NFL but has improved his all-around game.

“I think Fred has gotten much more productive defeating core blocks and tackling with more physicality,” an NFL coordinator said. “He’s always been the best in the world in the passing game — range, instincts, ball production. But he was incredible last year, and then you factor that with the forced takeaways, durability, and all the other rare intangibles, he’s the best.”

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler – July 15, 2025

Is San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey a top-5 RB?

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