2017 NFL Draft: Why the 49ers Won’t Draft LSU RB Leonard Fournette
By Chris Wilson
The Shanahan RB
The Shanahans get production out of late-round RBs.
One of Mike Shanahan’s claims to fame was his ability to get first-round production out of late-round RBs. Over his entire career, he never drafted a first-round RB, yet he had five different RBs eclipse 1000 rushing yards in their rookie years.
During the same time period, the rest of the NFL had only 10 rookies drafted outside the first round achieve the same feat.
Kyle Shanahan takes after his father, perhaps thanks to running back coach Bobby Turner, and has produced solid rushing numbers without ever coaching a first-round RB.
Here is a summary of the teams Kyle Shanahan coached, their starting RB rushing stats, and the round in which each RB was drafted:
| YEAR | TEAM | YARDS/TDS | STARTING RBS |
| 2008 | HOU | 1576/12 | Slaton (3), Green (3) |
| 2009 | HOU | 1351/13 | Slaton (3), Moats (3), Brown (3), Foster (U) |
| 2010 | WAS | 1230/9 | Torain (5), Williams (U), Portis (2) |
| 2011 | WAS | 1489/4 | Helu (4), Hightower (5), Torain (5), Royester (6) |
| 2012 | WAS | 1613/13 | Morris (6) |
| 2013 | WAS | 1275/7 | Morris (6) |
| 2014 | CLE | 1613/16 | West (3), Crowell (U), Tate (2) |
| 2015 | ATL | 1448/12 | Freeman (4), Coleman (3) |
| 2016 | ATL | 1599/19 | Freeman (4), Coleman (3) |
Why would the 49ers spend first-day draft capital if they can get the same production out of second or third-day players?