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Scouting combine 2017 results, top performers: Christian McCaffrey puts on a show

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Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Friday the running backs took the field in Indianapolis to show their talents. That meant timed events such as the 40, shuttles, and 3-cone as well as agility and skills drills. Throughout those events, the man who consistently stood out was Stanford's Christian McCaffrey.

Where he excelled the most was in the ever-important 3-cone drill. The drill designed to show how quick each player's feet are, had McCaffrey among the best ever. As NFL research noted.

Along with the timed drills, McCaffrey showed by far the best hands of any of the running backs. He is a technician as a receiver, making it look smooth and effortless. The son of NFL receiver Ed McCaffrey, he certainly inherited his father's skill set as a receiver. But Ed never had the running abilities Christian possesses which made him a 2nd team All American.

The 5-11, 202-pounder was already considered a borderline first rounder and this performance should help considerably.

"I don't think there's anyone else that can do all the things I can as far as running between the tackles, outside pass protect, play X, Z, slot and do a lot of things in the return game as well," said McCaffrey. "I think that's what sets me apart."

"Something I really pride myself on is not just being a running back that can catch the ball but if I move out to the slot, I become a receiver. If I move out to X or Z, I become a receiver and not just a running back. I really try to pride myself on route running, catching and being able to be a mismatch anywhere on the field."

Raiders head coach, Jack Del Rio, is quite familiar with Christian's skill set. He and Jack's son Luke went to high school together and their families go way back.

"It's so surreal," McCaffrey said of his relationship with Jack Del Rio. "Growing up, his son Luke was my quarterback in high school. I remember he was in the stands, with the Broncos, and we would hang out and have dinner with their family. Looking at the Raiders side, looking at the Broncos side, just knowing that there are so many people here that I've grown up knowing, it's pretty surreal that I'm here now as a player."

Even with the familiarity between Del Rio and McCaffrey, the young running back met with the Raiders this week.

"Christian McCaffrey is first of all, an amazing young man," said Del Rio. ". . . I heard the people question whether he'd be able to go from the high school level to the college level and now the questions will come out, ‘Can he go from the college game to the pro game?' And I think you're going to see the same thing. This guy is a great football player and I think he will have an impact in this league."

Here are the top performances in each category by the running backs:

40-yard-dash

Player School 40
Logan, TJ North Carolina 4.37
Williams, Stanley Kentucky 4.41
Cohen, Tarik North Carolina A&T St 4.42
Henderson, De'Angelo Coastal Carolina 4.48
McCaffrey, Christian Stanford 4.48
Pumphrey, DJ San Diego St 4.48
Cook, Dalvin Florida St 4.49
McNichols, Jeremy Boise St 4.49
Mack, Marlon South Florida 4.5
Fournette, Leonard Louisiana St 4.51
Williams, Joe Utah 4.51

Bench press

Player School Bench
Perine, Samaje Oklahoma 30
Stevenson, Freddie Florida St 24
Carson, Christopher Oklahoma St 23
Cook, Dalvin Florida St 22
Smith, De'Veon Michigan 22
Gallman, Wayne Clemson 21
Shell, Rushel West Virginia 21
Davis, Justin USC 21
Henderson, De'Angelo Coastal Carolina 20
Conner, James Pittsburgh 20

Vertical jump

Player School Vert
Kamara, Alvin Tennessee 39.5
Jones, Aaron UTEP 37.5
McCaffrey, Christian Stanford 37.5
Carson, Christopher Oklahoma St 37
Hunt, Kareem Toledo 36.5
Williams, Stanley Kentucky 36
McGuire, Elijah Louisiana-Lafayette 36
Mack, Marlon South Florida 35.5
McNichols, Jeremy Boise St 35.5
Williams, Joe Utah 35
Ogunbowale, Dare Wisconsin 35

Broad jump

Player School Broad
Kamara, Alvin Tennessee 131
Carson, Christopher Oklahoma St 130
Jones, Aaron UTEP 127
Mack, Marlon South Florida 125
Williams, Joe Utah 125
Hill, Brian Wyoming 125
Williams, Jamaal Brigham Young 123
McCaffrey, Christian Stanford 121
Williams, Stanley Kentucky 121
McNichols, Jeremy Boise St 121
Logan, TJ North Carolina 121

3-cone

Player School 3-cone
McCaffrey, Christian Stanford 6.57
Jones, Aaron UTEP 6.82
Williams, Stanley Kentucky 6.86
McNichols, Jeremy Boise St 6.93
Ogunbowale, Dare Wisconsin 6.99
Hill, Brian Wyoming 7.03
Gallman, Wayne Clemson 7.17
Redding, Devine Indiana 7.18
Williams, Joe Utah 7.19
Williams, Jamaal Brigham Young 7.25

Short shuttle

Player School Short shuttle
Williams, Stanley Kentucky 4.18
Hood, Elijah North Carolina 4.18
Williams, Joe Utah 4.19
Foreman, D'onta Texas 4.19
Jones, Aaron UTEP 4.2
McCaffrey, Christian Stanford 4.22
McNichols, Jeremy Boise St 4.28
Gallman, Wayne Clemson 4.28
Hill, Brian Wyoming 4.32
Ogunbowale, Dare Wisconsin 4.34

60-yard shuttle

Player School 60-yd shuttle
McCaffrey, Christian Stanford 11.03
Hill, Brian Wyoming 11.29
Jones, Aaron UTEP 11.53
Perine, Samaje Oklahoma 11.71
Smith, De'Veon Michigan 11.75