Kyle Shanahan told us the 49ers will likely address running back in the upcoming NFL Draft. The question is, which round?
One position the San Francisco 49ers will address in the upcoming NFL Draft is running back. We know that because Kyle Shanahan told us they would at the owner’s meetings last week.
After talking about trading Jordan Mason and the health of Christian McCaffrey, Shanahan said, “I think you always hope to address it every year,” when asked about the running back position:
“I mean, yeah, of course we’re set with McCaffrey, but every single year that we’ve gone through this, except for two years, we’ve gone through four running backs. And most teams do, so you’ve always got to be prepared for that.”
The 49ers have entered multiple seasons with deep running back rooms, only to be decimated by injury before Halloween. This year, McCaffrey and Guerendo are the primary workhorses.
Patrick Taylor didn’t have a carry until Week 6 last season. He’s currently RB3 on the depth chart. Taylor’s role is to cover kicks. It’s a critical one on a team that has struggled on special teams in recent years. Taylor plays his role well, but it means the 49ers need another ball-carrier.
I’d be leery of Guerendo maintaining health for a 17-game season. He suffered a hamstring injury on the first day of training camp. In Week 18, Guerendo exited after two carries with a lower-body injury.
Don’t expect McCaffrey to become a part-time running back anytime soon. He had 19 and 23 touches in his first two games off a serious Achilles injury that kept him out for the first two months of the season.
That doesn’t mean the 49ers shouldn’t plan for life after McCaffrey, getting him a backup in the event CMC or Guerendo get banged up, or continue to address the depth at the position.
Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton are potential first-rounders, but the bang for your buck in this class comes in the middle rounds. That’s the most likely spot for the 49ers to address running back.
Names like Cam Skattebo, Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson, and Kaleb Johnson all figure to go in the second round. The latter part of the third through the fifth round is the sweetspot at running back in this draft.
Names like R.J. Harvey D.J. Giddens, Devin Neal, Damien Martinez, Jadon Blue, Bhayshul Tuten, and Jacory Croskey-Merritt should all intrigue the 49ers.
Put your general manager hat on. What round are you drafting a running back based on the 49ers needs and their current depth chart?