Entering the 2024 season, San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey was viewed by his peers as the No. 3 best player in the entire league, at least according to last year's NFL Top 100 list.
Entering 2025, things are nowhere close to what they used to be.
Granted, it'd be difficult for McCaffrey to retain a top-five spot that followed his 2023 Offensive Player of the Year award on the tail of 2,023 all-purpose yards. But, other circumstances ultimately led to 2024 being a massive regressions year.
Particularly injuries.
McCaffrey ultimately appeared in just four games over the course of last season, missing the first half of the year because of Achilles tendinitis and then suffering a season-ending knee injury shortly thereafter that led to a frustrating end of his 2024 campaign.
Despite that, the All-Pro's peers still view him as one of the league's best heading into 2025.
Christian McCaffrey still lands on NFL Top 100 despite 2024's setbacks
A far cry from his No. 3 overall spot a year ago, the 29-year-old McCaffrey still stuck a landing on the NFL Top 100 list for 2025, coming in at No. 73 overall:
NFL Top 100 Players of 2025:@49ers RB Christian McCaffrey lands at No. 73! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/nlJQutKwhm
— NFL (@NFL) July 17, 2025
While it's quite the dramatic fall from the "best of the best category," it's nevertheless commendable to see McCaffrey on the list after appearing in just four games last season and tallying a mere 348 all-purpose yards and no touchdowns.
Fans, of course, will point to the injuries as the sole reason why CMC didn't have the kind of follow-up campaign desired after his MVP-level performance the year prior, but perhaps the better news is those same fans can expect a fully healthy McCaffrey to grace the field for the Niners in 2025.
Although it might be wise for San Francisco to limit the dual-threat running back's touches in an attempt to keep him fresh and healthy rather than overworking him.
Either way, McCaffrey remaining on the list despite last year's frustrations is commendable, and the 49ers can only hope he'll see a massive ascent back up the list in 2026.
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