Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Predicting 5 players who make the 2019 Pro Bowl

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 20: DeForest Buckner #99 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after he sacked Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium on November 20, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 20: DeForest Buckner #99 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after he sacked Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium on November 20, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 9: Jerick McKinnon #21 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates during the first quarter of the game on October 9, 2016 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 9: Jerick McKinnon #21 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates during the first quarter of the game on October 9, 2016 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Running Back Jerick McKinnon

The 49ers bid farewell to running back Carlos Hyde this offseason, replacing him in free agency with Kyle Shanahan’s hand-picked successor, Jerick McKinnon.

McKinnon’s traditional stats over his four years with the Minnesota Vikings suggest the Niners reached. After all, McKinnon has never been placed in a featured role and never had more than 570 rush yards in a single season.

Stats can be misleading, though, and the relative lack of use should help keep the 26-year-old McKinnon fresh for his first season as a featured back.

But the better analysis points to how McKinnon fits in Shanahan’s offense. Take a look at the comparison Fourth and Nine’s Dylan DeSimone made with Shanahan’s previous work with Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman:

Putting things into perspective, Freeman made the Pro Bowl in both years Shanahan was Atlanta’s offensive coordinator. And Freeman had a total of 1,634 and 1,541 all-purpose yards in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

That’s the trajectory towards which McKinnon is heading.