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San Francisco 49ers: Projecting Each Rookie’s Role in 2016

By Peter Panacy

Jun 8, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers guard Joshua Garnett (65) runs drills during minicamp at the San Francisco 49ers Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 8, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers guard Joshua Garnett (65) runs drills during minicamp at the San Francisco 49ers Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Florida running back Kelvin Taylor speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Florida running back Kelvin Taylor speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Running Back Kelvin Taylor

The 49ers will need some amicable backup to No. 1 tailback Carlos Hyde, and former Florida standout Kelvin Taylor may be the guy to supply this.

Taylor has NFL pedigree — he’s the son of former NFL back Fred Taylor — and also thrived within Florida’s zone-blocking scheme.

San Francisco has some depth at running back behind Hyde. While journeymen tailbacks DuJuan Harris and Shaun Draughn may start camp ahead of Taylor on the depth chart, it’s entirely possible Taylor winds up being the better fit.

And with second-year pro Mike Davis coming off a rookie campaign in which he averaged only 1.4 yards per carry, Taylor shouldn’t have any trouble passing over the former South Carolina runner.

Projection

Taylor will pass over Davis before the regular season. The only question is whether or not San Francisco wants to replace Harris and/or Draughn with the rookie.

A good guess would be one of those two veterans is gone by the start of the season. Taylor winds up being the No. 3 running back on the team’s roster this season and will have a good chance to climb even further in subsequent campaigns.

Next: Jeff Driskel