CLEVELAND — Kyle Juszczyk had watched Christian McCaffrey work from afar for years. The San Francisco 49ers fullback and Cloverleaf High School graduate had gained a certain appreciation from him in that time.

However, on Oct. 20 of last year, Juszczyk got a chance to start watching the All-Pro running back up close when the 49ers acquired McCaffrey in a trade with the Carolina Panthers. That's when appreciation went to a completely different level.

“It's truly been something special," Juszczyk told the Beacon Journal's Nate Ulrich ahead of the 49ers game Sunday at the Browns. "I genuinely believe that Christian's the best running back in the NFL because he can do everything. I don't really see a weakness in his game. He's incredible between the tackles, has the speed to get outside, can make people miss, can be physical, get first downs on short yardage, punch it in on the goal line."

That all shows in what McCaffrey has done to help give San Francisco the NFL's third-ranked rushing offense. He leads the league in rushing with 510 yards, carries with 99 and is tied for the league lead with 7 rushing touchdowns.

Juszczyk, though, had more to say about McCaffrey the player.

"He's a legitimate receiver," Juszczyk said of McCaffrey, who is tied for second on the team with 20 catches for 168 yards, third-most on the 49ers. "I feel strongly that if we wanted to start him at wide receiver, we 100% could, and he'd be extremely effective. So he's just been the perfect addition to this team."

That's because the 49ers offense is built on players like McCaffrey and Juszczyk. Why San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan has been able to create arguably the most diverse offense in the league is because of the diverse players he utilizes within the scheme.

It's not just what Shanahan does in making running backs like McCaffrey or Juszczyk into threats in the passing game. It's how he's turned the team's second-leading receiver, Deebo Samuel, as one of its most dangerous rushing threats even with just 16 carries this season for 84 yards.

"That's just a testament to him, a testament to the scheme and a testament to those guys being able to be versatile, line up anywhere and make plays," Browns linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. said of Shanahan and his offense. "You got Juice (Juszczyk) lining up at slot, running a slant, catching it. You got Deebo lining up in the backfield, running stretch, like a running back. Like I said, just a lot of interchangeable guys and they execute really well."

Even the 49ers' Pro Bowl tight end, George Kittle, is more than meets the eye. Kittle, since coming into the league out of Iowa in 2017, is second only to the Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce in receiving yards for a tight end with 5,254.

Ask one of the Browns defenders who will have to face Kittle, though, about sets him apart within that elite tier of tight end. The answer typically starts with something most have forgotten is a key piece in a tight end's tool box.

"Kittle, man, he's a really good blocker, too," linebacker Sione Takitaki said. "He's a little thinner than (the Baltimore Ravens' Mark) Andrews, but you watch him on tape, he could block as good as he can catch. I feel like he's a complete tight end. You can kind of line him out with the wide flex, he can do things there, but with the run game, he's kind of one of their big guys in the run game and helping block, chip D-ends and working up to linebackers.

"Obviously he scored three times (this past Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys) so you guys know what he could do when he catches the ball. But just wanted to highlight his blocking game, too."

That's because, like most of the 49ers offensive skill players, there's not just one thing they excel at doing.

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns defense gears for 49ers offense with 'interchangeable guys'