2016 NFL Draft: San Francisco 49ers Picks, Grades and Analysis
By Jerod Brown
Round 6, Pick No. 36, 211th Overall
Player: RB Kelvin Taylor, Florida
Height/Weight: 5’10”, 207 pounds
With the second of three picks in the sixth round, the 49ers select Kelvin Taylor, running back from the University of Florida.
The 49ers were starved for running back depth by the end of the 2015 season, and it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that the team would look for another depth player in the draft. Trent Baalke uses his second of three picks to select a valuable running back who will push other tailbacks to perform.
Mike Davis and Jarryd Hayne should be on alert. They’ll need to improve and stay healthy, otherwise they may be looking for another place to play in 2016. The 49ers have Carlos Hyde as a starter and Shaun Draughn to back him up but they needed another running back as injury insurance.
With family bloodlines–Taylor is the son of former NFL running back Fred Taylor–the 49ers have found a potential gem late in the draft.
Strengths:
Taylor ran a short-shuttle time of 4.20 seconds and shows the same about of burst and quickness as a runner on the field. He won’t beat you in a footrace, but he’ll beat you within three yards of the line of scrimmage and in tight spaces.
Taylor is a get-it-and-go runner who specializes in making one move and hitting it hard. He won’t dance and he won’t use straight-line speed. He’ll give one shake and then get forward for whatever he can. Taylor’s statistics show no fumbles in college, despite plenty of carries.
Weaknesses:
Taylor drops this far in the draft because he simply doesn’t have a trump card–a thing that he does better than anybody else. He’s about average in every regard and will need a scheme that allows him to focus on making one cut on a pre-designed track.
Taylor ran a 4.60-second 40-yard dash, and even that seemed fast. He doesn’t flash getaway speed and, with average vision, he gets caught behind the line of scrimmage before he ever gets going.
Why He Fits:
Taylor is the change-of-pace back who the 49ers need to pair with Carlos Hyde. Hyde is a high-level starter in the NFL, and Taylor will simply come in as insurance and a player who can spell some carries to keep Hyde fresh.
He won’t push for a starting position in 2016 and may never. He provides value as a 5-10 carries per game player that has the athleticism to play special teams if needed.
The 49ers use a pick to address a clear need, although it isn’t exactly a starter. The 49ers needed to grab a player to help Carlos Hyde and be an effective member of Chip Kelly’s offense. They did just that.
Grade: B
Next: Round 6: Aaron Burbridge, Wide Receiver