5 Hidden Gems in the NFL Draft the 49ers Should Consider
No. 5: Running Back D’Onta Freeman
If the San Francisco 49ers choose not to use a day-three pick on RB Joe Mixon, like I had suggested, they should draft Texas RB D’Onta Freeman instead. He’s a physical runner the 49ers could combine with RB Carlos Hyde to create a power-speed combination.
Evaluating Freeman’s Numbers
There are no questions about the numbers that Freeman puts up on a weekly basis. According to Dane Brugler of CBS Sports, Freeman was the only running back in the FBS to rush for a 100 yards every week.
| Rushing | Receiving | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| *2014 | Texas | Big 12 | FR | RB | 6 | 14 | 74 | 5.3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 15 | 81 | 5.4 | 0 |
| 2015 | Texas | Big 12 | SO | RB | 10 | 94 | 672 | 7.1 | 5 | 5 | 64 | 12.8 | 0 | 99 | 736 | 7.4 | 5 |
| 2016 | Texas | Big 12 | JR | RB | 11 | 323 | 2028 | 6.3 | 15 | 7 | 75 | 10.7 | 0 | 330 | 2103 | 6.4 | 15 |
| Career | Texas | 431 | 2774 | 6.4 | 20 | 13 | 146 | 11.2 | 0 | 444 | 2920 | 6.6 | 20 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 2/24/2017.
Freeman exploded onto the scene in his Junior season, rushing for 2,208 yards and 15 touchdowns. He’s not much of a pass-catching threat, as he only caught 13 passes during his career at Texas.
He was second in the FBS in rushing yards, only behind RB Donnel Pumphrey. He was also third in rushing attempts, with 323 on the season.
Evaluating Foreman’s Tape
In his game against Texas Tech, RB D’Onta Freeman rushed for 350 yards. Here are some clips that show his innate running ability and power rushing style.
In this first clip, Freeman doesn’t have the top-end breakaway speed, but is able to burst through the hole and still score the touchdown:
In the same game, he’s able to rip off a big run, but then gets the ball taken away during the gang tackle at the end of the clip:
Then, against Notre Dame last season, the first play shows his running style, which is follow the blocker and play design rather than instincts and vision.
The latter shows his lack of pass protection, as he gets knocked back by the defender:
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Scouts’ Take on Foreman
According to Dane Brugler of CBS Sports, Foreman, doesn’t necessarily possess the top-end speed, but gets to where he wants to quickly. He’s also a powerful back, that won’t necessarily make defenders miss, but will power through them.
Brugler also adds that Foreman won’t create on his own, but will go according to the offensive play design.
From the games I have seen, Foreman is a successful runner when there’s a hole and he’s able to burst through it. He’s not necessarily a patient runner who waits for the hole to develop. The Texas RB is definitely a north and south runner, who keeps his feet moving.
Foreman does have a ball security issue, and he’s roughly fumbling once every 55 snaps, according to Brugler, which is too high in the NFL.
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Final Thoughts
If the 49ers do indeed decide to take RB D’Onta Foreman, they’ll be getting a powerful rusher, who’s durable and hard to bring down.
He’ll be a good pair with Hyde and be a good complement. I think he’ll rush as well as the offensive line blocks. Meaning, he won’t necessarily create for himself, but if the holes are there, he’ll run all day.
He’s a good player to take in this deep running back class and should be available on day three.