Kaelon Black

Black will be the reason Christian McCaffrey stays healthy all season — and he'll become one of the NFL's best No. 2 backs.

Strengths: Wasn't afraid of the moment in his first career NFL game in Melbourne.

Black is an interesting rookie, but I am keeping the grade at five until we see him against NFL defenses. He topped 1,000 yards with 10 touchdowns for Indiana last season and has 55 college catches, so there is more to his game than just early-down carries. He has plenty of experience and usually takes what the blocking gives him. The question is whether he has enough burst to create when the lane is not clean, and rookies always have to earn trust in pass protection. He has a real chance to help the rotation, but right now the production is all projection.

Strengths: Black has good college volume, patient vision and useful receiving experience over his full career. He produced 1,039 yards in his final season and has enough size and toughness to handle work between the tackles.

Weaknesses: He has not played an NFL snap and does not appear to have rare breakaway speed. His final college season included only four receptions, and his pass protection and special-teams reliability must be proven before he earns a steady game-day role.