CMC is currently leading the NFL in receptions as... a RB

Christian McCaffrey leading the entire league in receptions feels like one of those stats you have to read twice just to let it sink in. A running back, not a slot receiver or a volume tight end, sitting on top of the reception leaderboard captures how the modern NFL has tilted toward space, mismatches, and versatility. Every Sunday, it seems like the 49ers motion him everywhere, and the ball keeps finding his hands, turning routine check-downs into first downs and red zone looks into backbreaking plays for defenses. In a season full of big receiving numbers, the fact that a running back is the one out front says everything about how special McCaffrey is as a weapon.

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers, has long been known as one of the best pass-catching backs in football, and this year he has pushed that reputation into another tier. Official league and major outlet tracking show him piling up receptions at a rate that would be impressive for a top wide receiver, let alone a running back, clearing the 80 catch mark and leading the NFL in total grabs while still handling a heavy rushing workload at the same time. His ability to run true receiver routes out of the backfield and from the slot has made him the centerpiece of San Francisco’s passing game, turning short throws into reliable, efficient extensions of the run game and forcing defenses to account for him on every snap.​

Right behind him, Puka Nacua and he are living in that short and intermediate area where timing and toughness matter more than pure speed. Box scores from league and team sources have him sitting just one catch off the lead pack, right around 80 receptions, serving as the heartbeat of his offense on third downs and in key situations. Nacua may not be the one at the top of the list. Still, his volume reminds everyone that even in a league of stars, precision route running and trust from the quarterback can keep a young wideout in the national conversation all season long.​

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is an option that defenses actually have to game-plan against. With his reception total now matching that 80 catch range, official stat pages and grading services show him winning consistently from the slot, using craft and suddenness to uncover against nickel corners and safeties. His emergence gives his offense a reliable chain mover, but even as he climbs the charts, he is still chasing the rare production of a running back who has turned the same kind of routes into an even bigger catch total.​

Trey McBride has become the prototype for the modern tight end, another player camped right at the 80-reception mark, living in the middle of the field where big bodies and soft hands thrive. Team and league numbers show him among the leaders at his position in targets and catches, rewarding an offense that has leaned on him whenever the quarterback needs a safety valve or a trusted red zone option. His presence near the top of the reception leaderboard underscores how heavily some offenses rely on tight ends, yet even he cannot quite match the sheer volume McCaffrey has piled up out of the backfield.​

Then there is Ja’Marr Chase, one of the purest superstar wide receivers in the game, sitting just behind the pack with a reception total in the high seventies. Despite defensive coverages built specifically to slow him down, official tracking still credits him with one of the highest target and catch shares in football, proving again that elite talent can win even when everyone in the stadium knows where the ball wants to go. Chase hovering just below the reception lead only adds weight to the idea that McCaffrey’s position at the top is something historic, not just a quirk of the schedule.​

When you line up those names, Nacua, Smith-Njigba, McBride, Chase, all living around 80 receptions, it reads like a who's who of the modern passing game. Yet the one looking down at all of them in the catch column is a running back who spends as much time taking handoffs as he does catching passes. McCaffrey’s league-leading reception total is more than a fun stat; it is a snapshot of where the sport is right now, a game where the most dangerous player on the field might be the one starting next to the quarterback, ready to beat you on the ground or through the air on any given snap.​

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: CMC is currently leading the NFL in receptions as a Running Back