49ers’ 2018 ‘Who Is?’ series: Running back Matt Breida

Niner Noise’s 2018 “Who Is?” series on San Francisco 49ers players takes a look at running back Matt Breida, projecting his role and potential impact this upcoming season.

The San Francisco 49ers received a pleasant surprise from former Georgia Southern running back Matt Breida — an undrafted free agent last year — in 2017.

Breida, who had prolific collegiate years in 2014 and 2015, fell off the table a bit in 2016, which likely led to not being selected in last year’s NFL Draft. But after the Niners inked him to a free-agent deal after the draft, he quickly made a name for himself in rookie minicamp, foreshadowing what eventually became a promising debut year at the pro level.

More impressively, Breida forced San Francisco’s hand to redshirt fellow running back Joe Williams, whom the team selected in Round 4 last year, thus earning the No. 2 spot behind starting runner Carlos Hyde.

And Breida’s numbers for a backup running back weren’t terrible either:

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/15/2018.

Heading into 2018, Breida is in good position to make the 49ers’ 53-man roster. He’ll have competition, namely with Williams, special teamer Raheem Mostert and newcomer Jerick McKinnon.

And while McKinnon will essentially be handed the starting job, what should fans expect out of Breida in year two of his pro career?

Let’s take a deeper look.

Why Matt Breida Improves in 2018

Breida already solidified himself as a pass-catching threat for head coach Kyle Shanahan, as his 21 receptions for 180 yards indicates.

This is a staple of the Shanahan offense, as is the ability to use elusiveness and proper reads to find holes in the head coach’s outside-zone offense.

You can get the idea from this outside run versus the Jacksonville Jaguars’ top defense last year (h/t Niners Nation’s James Brady):

A full year’s experience in Shanahan’s offense can only serve him good. Breida already showed acclimation to the system, thriving in it and even averaging more yards per carry than Hyde — 4.4 yards compared to 3.9.

And with Shanahan’s tendency to rotate his tailbacks — see the 2016 Atlanta Falcons with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman — it’s quite possible Breida crests at least 500 yards rushing, and potentially even more through the air.

Why He Regresses

Breida is still small, 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, and doesn’t have the body type to assume a full-time running spot.

San Francisco 49ers

That’s not a problem, in of itself. But McKinnon (5-foot-9 and 209 pounds) offers a similar skill set and is, in many ways, a more polished version of Breida. Therefore, Breida may not wind up being the “change of pace” back so many NFL offenses covet.

And with the team’s focus more on featuring McKinnon, Breida will have to set himself apart from the rest of the competition.

So any regression in training camp or the preseason could be pretty detrimental.

Projected Role with the 49ers in 2018

Right now, Breida is in an excellent spot to still secure the No. 2 tailback spot behind McKinnon. While both have a similar skill set, that could also translate to both being able to excel in Shanahan’s offense.

All the while spelling the other. It’s not unlike what Shanahan did with both Freeman and Coleman two years ago.

Yet Breida will be pushed hard by Williams this offseason, who might be going through his final chance to stick on San Francisco’s roster. Right now, Williams looks to be the biggest threat to Breida’s role this season.

If Breida wins out, though, one will likely see him lose some touches to McKinnon but still manage close to a 400- to 500-yard rushing campaign this season. Tack on an additional 200 yards through the air, and you’ll be close to the stat projections Breida should be able to post in 2018.

Next: 49ers' early bubble-watch projections for 2018

Not bad at all for a No. 2 tailback, who was an undrafted free agent.