Every team is looking for its next Christian McCaffrey, and CBS Sports’ Mike Renner thinks there’s one prospect in the 2026 NFL draft who is closest to the San Francisco 49ers star running back.
While scouting Navy running back/wide receiver Eli Heidenreich, Renner compared the Navy product’s pre-draft testing numbers to McCaffrey’s, and the results were eerily similar.
“They’re about as identical as I’ve ever seen two prospects,” Mike Renner said on the “Check the Mic” podcast. “I’m not saying he will be Christian McCaffrey … Heidenreich is just a unique athlete. I’m very curious to see where he goes.”
Now, they’re not statistically equal. Heidenreich had 1,115 and 1,440 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons for Navy, respectively, but less than 500 rushing yards in both seasons. McCaffrey, meanwhile, had 2,019 and 1,603 rushing yards in his final two seasons at Stanford, with less than 1,000 total receiving yards over those two seasons. McCaffrey also scored 29 total touchdowns in that span, versus Heidenreich’s 18 total touchdowns.
But from a measurables perspective, the traits line up well for a team looking for a dual-threat player on Day 3. He also has special teams capabilities, but teams likely aren’t mistaking Heidenreich for the second coming of McCaffrey.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL draft analyst compares Day 3 prospect to Christian McCaffrey
Reporting by Oliver G., Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
