Cam Newton reportedly 'campaigned' for Panthers to draft McCaffrey over Fournette

The Panthers quarterback apparently wanted McCaffrey at No. 8 instead of Fournette

There were a number of talented running backs in the 2017 NFL Draft, so many that two of them ultimately went in the top 10, with Leonard Fournette going to the Jaguars at No. 4 and Christian McCaffrey going to the Panthers at No. 8. The Panthers were long considered a team likely to take a running back because of the reliance on the power running game and Jonathan Stewart's age.

The question was which back they would take. Jacksonville helped make up their mind for them, but even if both guys had been on the board at No. 8, Carolina might have leaned toward McCaffrey. That's because quarterback Cam Newton, whose role is rapidly shrinking as the offensive game plan in Carolina evolves, apparently "campaigned" for the Stanford back.

Jonathan Jones of SI.com wrote a feature on Newton's evolution in Carolina, and reported that Newton asked the Panthers to go in McCaffrey's direction before the draft.

Newton campaigned pre-draft for McCaffrey over Leonard Fournette, according to a team source, because he believed Fournette was too similar to Stewart and that McCaffrey could offer something the Panthers have never had before.

McCaffrey is a different animal than Fournette, of course. See: Madden 18 rookie rankings. Fournette is indeed similar to Stewart in that he's a power running back who is probably not going to catch 100 balls and is going to spend most of his time between the tackles. McCaffrey is a home-run threat who is best used as a chess piece, moved around the field, set up to catch balls out of the backfield and while split out wide. 

In that respect Newton is absolutely correct. The Panthers haven't had a weapon like McCaffrey, and it should be a boon for Newton, who suddenly can be described as a veteran quarterback. He needs an outlet out of the backfield and a quick-hit option.

McCaffrey should give him just that if he's properly utilized, which is exactly why Newton would want the Panthers to draft the Stanford product.

Now they just have to follow through and actually use him the right way.