San Francisco 49ers: Who is running back Carlos Hyde?

Niner Noise’s moves on with our “Who Is?” series on San Francisco 49ers players in 2017. This installment looks at running back Carlos Hyde and whether or not he’s actually in danger of losing a starting job.

San Francisco 49ers running back has the distinct disadvantage of not being the hand-picked tailback under the team’s new regime of general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan.

It’s not necessarily a good position to be in, especially considering Hyde has yet to reach 1,000 rushing yards in his NFL career.

Injuries, inconsistency and poor run blocking have largely kept the former Ohio State product from reaching this goal. And Hyde hasn’t exactly picked up from his predecessor, Frank Gore, left off after 2014.

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So it shouldn’t be a surprise Lynch had some cryptic comments about Hyde, who enters a contract year, and his future with the team beyond 2017.

And it also doesn’t help the Niners picked up former Utah tailback Joe Williams in Round 4 of the NFL Draft either. He’ll press Hyde for a starting job and may even take it over at some point this season.

If Hyde let’s him, of course.

Why He’ll Improve

There’s one thing any fan can point out about Hyde — he’s hard to bring down after first contact.

According to Pro Football Focus, Hyde ended up gaining positive yardage 12.9 percent of the time on would-be backfield tackles, which was tops in the NFL last season.

This has been a trend for Hyde previously, and it’s also promising to match this with Shanahan’s own scheme.

Shanahan’s outside-zone runs, broken down by Niner Noise’s Rich Madrid here, tend to be a bit more complex than those executed by former head coach Chip Kelly a year ago.

Related Story: 49ers film room: Kyle Shanahan's running game

If executed properly, Hyde should be able to capitalize on larger gaps and bigger lanes over the course of this season. Combine this with Williams’ pickup too, as Hyde won’t have to bear the brunt of being the sole tailback capable of knocking off big runs.

Speaking of Williams, the added competition should spark Hyde to try and retain his starting job.

Why He’ll Regress

Injury history aside — and that’s a big thing to put aside — Hyde has unfortunately been a victim of poor run blocking.

San Francisco’s offensive line ranked dead last in run support last year, according to Football Outsiders, and was no better in 2015.

The additions of linemen Jeremy Zuttah, Tim Barnes and Brandon Fusco might change things up a bit. Yet the 49ers O-line isn’t vastly different and/or improved compared to last season. This could continue to be a major drawback for Hyde’s efforts and the Niners offense overall.

Another issue to contend with here is Williams.

Even NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco pointed out the very real possibility of the rookie unseating Hyde at some point this season. Perhaps as early as Week 1.

And those injuries? Various setbacks have kept Hyde out of 14 net games since being drafted in 2014.

What to Expect in 2017

As is the case with any player performing under a new regime, Hyde will have to prove himself to Lynch, Shanahan and Co. to warrant sticking around beyond this season.

The same goes with remaining the featured tailback too.

It’s not as likely Williams takes over the No. 1 spot right away. Possibly at some point in the season, but not Week 1.

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Hyde will kick off the season as Shanahan’s primary bell cow but will see some of his snaps reduced by Williams, as the Niners look to see if he can handle a large load as, potentially, a No. 1 tailback in his own right.

If that experiment goes well enough, Hyde’s time in San Francisco may be coming to a close after this season. The Niners may not want to pony up a lot of money in 2018 to keep a player not of the new regime’s own choosing.

Of course Lynch could try and trade off an asset like Hyde while he still has some value, but that’s a long shot at best right now.

Yet one could actually see Hyde rush for 1,000 yards this season simply because he’ll need to prove himself.

Next: The top player to watch from each NFL team in 2017

If not to the 49ers, someone else.