Will Christian McCaffrey hurt his NFL draft stock by skipping Sun Bowl?

Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey announced he won’t be playing in the Sun Bowl, but will that impact his NFL draft stock?

With bowl season officially underway in college football, a handful of players are already looking towards the NFL draft, including Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey.

Stanford will be playing against the North Carolina Tar Heels on December 30th in the Hyundai Sun Bowl. However, they will be doing so without their star offensive weapon in McCaffrey. The junior running back announced on Twitter that he will not be playing in the Sun Bowl so that he can begin to prepare for the NFL draft.

The decision was a controversial one, creating plenty of debate on social media about whether or not it’s ok for a college player to skip a game to get ready for the NFL draft. McCaffrey isn’t the only player to make this decision, as LSU’s Leonard Fournette will also be skipping the Citrus Bowl to prepare for the pro level.

For those questioning whether or not this will hurt McCaffrey’s NFL draft stock, you can feel pretty confident that scouts won’t have any problem with this decision. In fact, a number of McCaffrey’s teammates have been vocal in supporting the star running back, including Stanford wide receiver Trenton Irwin.

McCaffrey’s production in college speaks for itself. He was a Heisman finalist in 2015 after rushing for over 2,000 yards while picking up another 645 in the passing game with 15 total rushing, receiving and return touchdowns.

Although McCaffrey dealt with an undisclosed injury this season, the Stanford star was still able to post another solid year with 1,603 rushing yards (averaging 6.3 yards per carry), 310 receiving yards and 16 total touchdowns.

The Stanford star has the skill set to be a legitimate first-round pick in the NFL draft. Although he’s not the biggest guy at 6-foot-0 and 200 pounds, McCaffrey is a pure speedster that can blow past defenses when he finds a gap.

Critics will be quick to count out McCaffrey, saying that his skill set is more of a gimmick, but the Stanford star is a legitimate runner with the patience, vision and burst to break off huge plays. Here’s a play that does a good job of showcasing those skills.

The biggest problem for McCaffrey is that he’s competing with the likes of Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cook in an absolutely stacked draft class of running backs. The Cardinal star will get knocked because of his smaller frame and questionable pass protection, but everything else is there for him to be a legitimate first-round pick.

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Scouts aren’t going to be concerned about McCaffrey skipping the Sun Bowl not just because his teammates support him, but also because of the fact that running backs naturally have a short shelf life. Any game with 20-plus carries is going to take a toll on a running back.

If anything, the fact that McCaffrey is worried about his longevity should reassure scouts that he’s serious about making an impact in the NFL. He won’t be the first running back off of the board, but McCaffrey might be one of the most exciting players to watch in the 2017 season.