April 28 (UPI) -- So much for low expectations.
Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman wasted no time in complimenting his first round selection Friday.
According to Gettleman, former Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey is comparable to Hall of Famer Curtis Martin.
"It doesn't happen very often," Gettleman said Friday. "The best tackle-box runner I've ever seen is Curtis Martin out of Pitt. Christian is right there with him. Running in that tackle box takes unique vision and unique quickness and he's got it. Curtis Martin had it, and he had a great career – a Hall of Fame career – and this kid's got those kind of skills."
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McCaffrey, 20, was an All-American for the Cardinal. He had a gaudy 5,128 yards from scrimmage and 33 total scores in three seasons in Palo Alto. That production resulted in his No. 8 draft selection Thursday by the Panthers.
Martin rushed for at least 1,000 yards in every season of his career until his final year in 2005. He had 735 yards in 12 games that season. He also made five Pro Bowls and was selected as an All-Pro in 2004. In his second-to-last season, Martin led the NFL with 1,697 rushing yards for the New York Jets.
But McCaffrey also has Pro Bowls in his blood.
His father, Ed McCaffrey had a successful pro career for the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos. Ed won three Super Bowls and went to the Pro Bowl in 1998. The elder McCaffrey and Martin shared the field at the Pro Bowl that year at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.
"There's always pressure. I'm a person who loves pressure," McCaffrey told the Panthers' website when asked about the pressure of being a high draft pick. "Pressure makes people better. There is pressure every time you walk onto a football field whether it's practice or a game. I love that. That's the kind of stuff that makes the great ones great. I plan to get there and do whatever I can to help this offense put a lot of points on the board."
Carolina had the top rushing attack NFL in 2015, but slipped in 2016. With 30-year-old Jonathan Stewart leading the running depth chart and coming off of a 3.8 yards per carry campaign, the Panthers desperately needed to inject some life into its ground assault.
McCaffrey should do that and more, demonstrating his ability to be used as a weapon from sideline-to-sideline. He could also be deployed as a special teams threat throughout his career.
