Christian McCaffrey named Offensive Player of the Year ahead of Super Bowl, Myles Garrett gets Defensive nod

Both were first-round picks in 2017

The obvious is now official: Christian McCaffrey and Myles Garrett were named the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year on Thursday night.

The San Francisco 49ers running back beat out Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott, and likely MVP Lamar Jackson to win his first ever OPOY. This is Garrett's first DPOY, as he beat DaRon Bland, Maxx Crosby, T.J. Watt, and Micah Parsons.

McCaffrey led the NFL in rushing yards with 1,459 - the closest was Derrick Henry with 1,167. His 2,023 scrimmage yards were also tops in the NFL, and his 21 total touchdowns were tied with Raheem Mostert for the most in the league.

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Christian McCaffrey runs

Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers carries the ball against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on December 17, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

McCaffrey scored at least one touchdown in 13 of the 16 games he played.

The 49ers acquired McCaffrey in a trade last season from the Carolina Panthers that put them on another pedestal. In his 27 games as a Niner, he has scored 31 total touchdowns.

Of course, he has other hardware on his mind, as he will be facing the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII this Sunday.

Christian McCaffrey runs

Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers runs the ball during the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Levi's Stadium on December 25, 2023 in Santa Clara, California.  (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

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As for Garrett, the Cleveland Browns' defense end was named a first-team All-Pro for the third time in the last four seasons, living up to his billing as a No. 1 pick.

Garrett racked up 14.0 sacks, making his fifth Pro Bowl. He finished in fifth place in the DPOY voting last year.

christian mccaffrey named offensive player of the year ahead of super bowl myles garrett gets defensive nod

Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns Stadium on December 10, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns beat the Jaguars 31-27. (Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)

Garrett and McCaffrey were both selected in the 2017 NFL Draft - Garrett the first, and McCaffrey the eighth.

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Authored by Ryan Morik via FoxNews February 8th 2024