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San Francisco 49ers: Position-by-Position Prediction of 2016 Roster in Advance of Free Agency

By Peter Panacy

Oct 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco 49ers tackle Anthony Davis (76) pass protects in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco 49ers tackle Anthony Davis (76) pass protects in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 18, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) rushes against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Ravens 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) rushes against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Ravens 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /

Running Back (5)

Carlos Hyde, Bruce Miller, DuJuan Harris, Mike Davis, Jarryd Hayne

Featured running back Carlos Hyde will be returning from his season-ending foot injury a year ago and will be a nice fit in head coach Chip Kelly’s inside zone scheme.

But he’ll need some help. Hyde can’t be an every-down back simply because his aggressive, hard-pounding running style will risk further injury. So the 49ers are going to have to get some production out of their depth backs.

Running back DuJuan Harris showed some nice things at the tail end of last season and also could be utilized as a pass-catching threat. Second-year pro Mike Davis hasn’t had many opportunities to prove himself just yet, but it’s possible Kelly works him into his plans as well.

And then there is the X-factor Jarryd Hayne. In a best-case scenario, Hayne could be the type of player like Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles was for Kelly a year ago.

Hayne will have to improve his blocking techniques to ensure this happens, but signs point towards Kelly utilizing him much more effectively than the previous 49ers coaching regime.

There could be some bad news for fullback Bruce Miller though. Kelly wasn’t much of a fan of fullbacks in Philadelphia. So it’s feasible to assume Miller doesn’t see a lot of the field in 2016.

On the flip side, perhaps Kelly realizes Miller is much more dynamic of a weapon than just a traditional fullback and chooses to adjust his scheme to maximize his use.

He’ll be on the roster nonetheless.

Next: Wide Receiver