PHILADELPHIA -- As Thursday night's NFL Draft approaches, few offensive players have been as consistently connected to the Eagles in various mock drafts than Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, as Howie Roseman and Co. aim to bolster the talent around quarterback Carson Wentz.
McCaffrey provides the position versatility of not only being a dominant between-the-ttackles runner, as well as a reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield that could make him an ideal scheme fit in the Eagles' offense.
As NJ Advance Media reported earlier this week, McCaffrey remains one of the NFL Draft prospects ranking high on the Eagles' NFL Draft Big Board.
McCaffrey's head coach at Stanford, David Shaw, in town to contribute to the NFL Network's coverage of the 2017 NFL Draft, said Wednesday that because of his experience in his offensive system, McCaffrey would be an ideal fit for Doug Pederson and the Eagles.
"Schematically, the Eagles are a West Coast team," Shaw said Wednesday during a media luncheon with NFL Network analysts prior to the NFL Draft beginning Thursday. "That's what Christian's played in at Stanford University. You look both at the backgrounds where our offense kind of is a derivation of what Jon Gruden did. Gruden was in Green Bay, under Mike Holmgren, as was Andy Reid, as was the whole Andy Reid coaching tree which is now in Philadelphia.
"You can see a lot of carryover. Christian would walk in on Day 1 and have a really good idea of the general playbook. He'd have to learn some of the nuances, but as far as the history of this offense, he's one of those running backs who can both run the ball and catch it out of the backfield. I think he'd be a perfect fit."
In Shaw's offense, McCaffrey posted 3,922 yards and 21 touchdowns, while averaging 6.2 yards per carry in three collegiate seasons, and also added 99 catches for 1,206 yards and 10 more touchdowns.
The Eagles certainly are in the market for a running back, but whether Florida State's Dalvin Cook or McCaffrey remains on the board when Rosemen and vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas go on the clock could be one of the top things to watch in Round 1. If the Eagles want McCaffrey, actually landing him could largely depend on what teams such as the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Carolina Panthers do at picks No. 4 and No. 8, respectively.
Matt Lombardo may be reached at MLombardo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardoPHL.