When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted former Maryland running back Anthony McFarland Jr., they knew exactly what they were getting. Head coach Mike Tomlin knows this team well and understood the dynamic McFarland brings to the Steelers running back depth chart.
Pro Football Focus ranked the top rookie running backs based on their opportunity with their new team and McFarland checked in at No. 8. Here’s what PFF had to say about McFarland’s shot with Pittsburgh.
McFarland has the benefit of one of the best offensive lines in the NFL — the Steelers finished ninth last year in our rankings and have been perpetually top-10 the past half-decade. The issue will be touches, as the Steelers were the pass-heaviest team in the NFL the last time Ben Roethlisberger was healthy in 2018. Not only that, but backup Jaylen Samuels commanded all of 14 carries when James Conner was healthy.
We will know pretty quickly what Tomlin’s plans are for McFarland. With his speed, you have to assume the coaches will have some packages for him soon and will get him on the field early. He could jump past Benny Snell and Jaylen Samuels in terms of snaps simply because of his unique skill set.
