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San Francisco 49ers: Predicting the future at running back in 2018

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 22: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers hands the ball off to Carlos Hyde #28 during their NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 22: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers hands the ball off to Carlos Hyde #28 during their NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 02: Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after scoring on a 24-yard touchdown run in the first half against USC Trojans during the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 02: Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after scoring on a 24-yard touchdown run in the first half against USC Trojans during the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

Finding Help in Free Agency and the NFL Draft

The 49ers are going to be armed with plenty of cap space this offseason, so grabbing some help on the free-agent market shouldn’t be difficult to do.

And the same applies with re-signing Carlos Hyde, should that happen, but we’ll see.

Unfortunately, the market figures to be a bit tricky in 2018.

The top name among all pending FAs is Pittsburgh Steelers tailback Le’Veon Bell, who is playing on the franchise tag. As a fit in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, Bell would be great. His vision is better than excellent, but it’s impossible to imagine Pittsburgh letting him walk.

Other high-profile runners like Eddie Lacy, Shane Vereen, Frank Gore and Jamaal Charles have either petered out or are too old for Shanahan’s liking.

Although a reunion with Gore, the 49ers’ all-time franchise rushing leader, would be pretty cool.

The NFL Draft

It’s impossible to talk the NFL Draft and running backs without mentioning Penn State’s Saquon Barkley.

Barkley could be, perhaps, the best offensive weapon in this year’s class. He’ll easily go in the top 10, and the Niners will be armed with a pick in that range. The only question, more of a doubt, is whether or not the 49ers go this route.

Shanahan comes from a tree that prefers mid-round value over high-profile targets at this position. Injured San Francisco tailback Joe Williams (Round 4) is a perfect example of this.

An educated guess would have the Niners addressing this possible need in Round 3 at the earliest. Oregon’s Royce Freeman could be a potential target, as could Michigan State’s L.J. Scott.

And if Ohio State running backs continue being a trend, Mike Weber is a name to watch after Round 4.