San Francisco 49ers: Ranking Each Position by Strength Entering 2016

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Oct 18, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) carries the ball after a handoff from quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) against the Baltimore Ravens during the third quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Ravens 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Running Backs

The running back position is easily the second-strongest unit on the 49ers. It boasts a great player in Carlos Hyde, and very good backups who can run, block and catch the ball out of the backfield in Shaun Draughn and DuJuan Harris.

Prior to his foot injury, Hyde ranked 19th out of 69 qualified running backs with a grade of plus-78.8 (from a zero to 100 scale) per Pro Football Focus, and which included a run grade of plus-78.9 which was the 12th best mark out of the backs.

When you throw in Mike Davis, Kendall Gaskins and Kelvin Taylor, the depth is outstanding, and you have three very different kinds of backs for which you can utilize in many different ways on the field.

Dec 6, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Shaun Draughn (24) runs past Chicago Bears inside linebacker Shea McClellin (50) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

The 49ers want to run the football this season. They are a very good team when they run the football. In previous seasons, it was a great time management tool and it ran the defense into the ground over the course of a game.

Under Kelly, the goal will be to run the football successfully to maximize drives and to ensure the pounding of the defense, all at warp speed.

The 49ers have the horses to get the ground game back to 120-plus rush yards per game. The depth is there.

Can Hyde stay healthy though?

Next: Defensive Line