Niner Noise
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49ers 2020 NFL Draft needs: Ranking top 5 running backs

By Jeremy Wohlfart

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 27: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers runs with the ball in the first quarter of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl against the Miami Hurricanes at Yankee Stadium on December 27, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 27: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers runs with the ball in the first quarter of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl against the Miami Hurricanes at Yankee Stadium on December 27, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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San Francisco 49ers
Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin Badgers (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

While not a popular mock for the San Francisco 49ers first-round pick, running back could be a potential dark horse selection for draft night. Niner Noise looks at the five top running backs of the draft class.

For the San Francisco 49ers to take a running back early in the 2020 NFL Draft would mean to throw away the normal way of developing running backs by head coach Kyle Shanahan.

Namely, overlooked players either from the undrafted ranks or in free agency cheaply brought in to do a running back by committee.

But there are a few considerations that could make running back a dark-horse pick for San Francisco early on. Firstly, the Niners have very little in the way of weaknesses. This can change in free agency depending on who leaves and who comes into the fold. But for the most part, the team is very settled with talent in pretty much every position.

Secondly, the running back position is in a delicate state. The team has several decisions to make on players, and running backs are not as big a priority as other players.

Finally, if the likes of top prospects D’Andre Swift or Jonathan Taylor fall to No. 31, that would present a big amount of value while also giving quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (sorry, Tom Brady fans) a new weapon as the 49ers try to get back to the Super Bowl.

As unlikely as it is, we can’t discount it completely. So we’ll take a look at the top five running backs of this draft class. All players could be considered (if available) at the 49ers first-round selection at No. 31 or as a second rounder pending a trade.