CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers running back Fozzy Whittaker attempted earlier this week to duplicate one of Christian McCaffrey's full-speed, open-field cuts.
It didn't turn out so well.
"I said, 'Man, mine doesn't look nothing like yours,' " Whittaker told the rookie running back out of Stanford. "Just actually seeing him do it and the way he is able to maneuver his body and make those cuts without losing speed is truly amazing.
"That just shows you how special of a talent he possesses. I know that it'll be on full display once we play on Sunday."
McCaffrey's cuts and all the other skills he possesses will be unleashed on Sunday when the Panthers open at San Francisco's Levi's Stadium. No more of the vanilla section of the playbook used during the preseason to keep opponents guessing how he'll be used.
The eighth pick of the draft will be showcased at running back, slot receiver, wide receiver and as a punt returner like maybe few rookies in their NFL debut. He also could line up in the shotgun at quarterback in the wildcat formation.
His versatility is a big part of the evolution of the offense to depend less on quarterback Cam Newton as a runner. That a six-year veteran like Whitaker already is trying to mimic one of his moves before the 2015 Heisman Trophy runner-up plays his first NFL game speaks volumes.
This isn't like McCaffrey as a kid mimicking the moves of Hall of Famer Barry Sanders in his back yard.
"That is definitely one of the most talented backs and just football players that I've seen ever in my life," Whittaker told me on ESPN 730's "Inside the Lair" podcast.
Such comments shouldn't come as a surprise by now. McCaffrey has turned heads here almost since the day the Panthers drafted him. Starting running back Jonathan Stewart, usually soft-spoken and reserved in his comments, said early in training camp that McCaffrey was "unstoppable" coming out of the backfield on pass routes.
"I can tell you now there's not going to be anybody in this league that can cover him one-on-one," Stewart said.
McCaffrey is included in more packages of the playbook than probably any player on Carolina's roster outside Newton. Because of his exemplary preparation and football IQ he's able to digest it all.
"He has a dynamic we haven't had in year's past," tight end Ed Dickson said of McCaffrey. "He's very quick. He's very fast for his size and very powerful. He just makes us that much more dangerous.
"I don't know how much running [Cam's] going to do this year, but a guy like McCaffrey is only going to make up for it. He has hands like a wide receiver and he can run just as well as any back that I've seen."
Those that didn't follow McCaffrey's college career may be surprised. The Panthers aren't.
"I wouldn't say surprised as much as we kind of expected it," coach Ron Rivera said. "Now it's for real so it's going to be amped up a little bit. I really do believe he's going to be able to hold his own and he's going to be the type of football player we expect him to be.
"He works so hard at his craft, and a lot of things we do will suit him very well."
First-year San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan isn't surprised, either. His first memory of this 5-foot-11, 205-pound dynamo was as a kid at Denver's Mile High Stadium, where Kyle's dad Mike was the head coach.
"He played in a Pop Warner game before a Broncos game and just tore it up making some unbelievable moves back then," he said.
Shanahan expects to see more on Sunday.
"His talent is way above most people," he said. "Anytime you have a guy that can be a running back or a receiver on any given play, it causes issues for a defense. I know that will be a challenge for us schematically and athletically to handle him.”
Shanahan had running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman as the offensive coordinator for the NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons last season. They combined for 85 catches for 883 yards and five touchdowns.
McCaffrey has the talent to get close to those numbers on his own, whether it's this season or another. Pittsburgh's Le'Veon Bell had 81 catches for 853 yards and three touchdowns during his second season, and McCaffrey already is being compared to him.
McCaffrey prefers Sanders, though.
"If I can mimic Barry Sanders then I'll be a heck of a football player," he said with a smile.
Believe the hype. It's real.
"Man! What he brings to the table, what he brings to the team ... " Newton said when asked how McCaffrey can help make him a better quarterback. "We didn't draft him as high as we did for him to kind of grow up in this offense.
"We need him to be ready to go."
McCaffrey appears to be ready, which could lead to the NFL rookie MVP award Newton won in 2011.
It's just up to Newton to execute the offense and take advantage of the check-down throws and screen plays that haven't been a big part of the playbook the past six years.
"If I was a coordinator in this league I would make a package for him, because he's that good," Dickson said.
The Panthers still want to be a run-first team that can dominate up front. So they'll try to establish the ground with Stewart first and throw McCaffrey in as a change of pace, although he proved during the preseason he's also effective between the tackles.
But McCaffrey's strength is his ability to make linebackers and safeties miss in the open field. That enabled him to break Sanders' NCAA record of 3,250 all-purpose yards with 3,864 in 2015.
"He runs routes as good as any running back I've seen," Dickson said. "... He's going to help us win games."
And from what Whittaker has seen, McCaffrey will do it with a style that is hard to duplicate.
"Seeing him do it on film whenever he was in his college days, and then seeing him replicate that is truly amazing," he said. "I know that's only going to translate to success on this level. Everybody is not able to do what he can."