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)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/1bf177169ac3c4e684c17e3d905a1ad601d7b7d47a10103f7d5d425f1cb160fd.jpg)
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.