Christian McCaffrey gave an assessment of Sam Darnold that caught Colin Cowherd off guard. The San Francisco 49ers star’s feelings about the Seattle Seahawks quarterback’s abilities spoke volumes about Darnold’s overlooked talents.
McCaffrey crossed paths with Darnold twice during the quarterback’s career journey. They were teammates in Carolina and later in San Francisco, experiencing firsthand the struggles that defined Darnold’s initial NFL chapters.
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The running back sat down with Cowherd on Wednesday’s episode of “The Herd.” He opened up about recognizing something special in Darnold long before the quarterback’s recent success with Minnesota and Seattle.
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“I’d always known him a little bit,” McCaffrey said. But when I first met him in Carolina, from the jump, I was like, ‘This guy’s a dude.’ And the more and more you see him at practice, that you see the throws he makes, you understand why he’s a top pick in the draft.
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“Then you’re around him more, and you’re like, ‘This is one of the best players I’ve been around, period’ — and it’s because of how talent talent how talented his arm is.”
Colin Cowherd’s reaction came instantly. A “wow” escaped the host as McCaffrey wrapped up his thought.
Christian McCaffrey explains what separates Sam Darnold from other quarterbacks
The 49ers back went deeper into what makes Sam Darnold different from other signal-callers who faltered early in their careers.
“He’s way more athletic than people give him credit for, and he’s really good at taking what’s given to him and doing his job,” McCaffrey said. “But I think so many times you see quarterbacks who start out in bad situations and get the blame for it.”
Christian McCaffrey highlighted Darnold’s mental toughness throughout years of criticism and roster changes. The quarterback bounced between New York, Carolina and San Francisco before finding stability with the Vikings and now the Seahawks. He had a 14-win regular season with both teams.
“He shows up every day with an unbelievable attitude, whatever position he’s in, never makes excuses, never complains about something that happened,” McCaffrey said. “I think it’s a testament to his resiliency, the kind of guy he is, and the player he is.”
Sam Darnold takes the field against New England at Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl LX on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
Edited by nagpaltusharn25
