5 former 49ers Kyle Shanahan would love to have on 2020 roster

No. 1: 49ers Running Back Roger Craig

Joe Perry is in the Hall of Fame. The franchise’s leading rusher, Frank Gore, will eventually be in the Hall of Fame.

San Francisco 49ers

Roger Craig, meanwhile, should be in the Hall of Fame.

If there’s a bonus of Craig not being there, it at least makes him eligible for this imaginary list. And one can only imagine how Kyle Shanahan would have used a player like Craig in his offense.

After all, Craig was a pathfinder when it came to being a versatile pass-catching running back who was capable of putting up massive numbers both on the ground and through the air. How about Craig’s 1985 Pro Bowl season in which he amassed a solid 1,050 rush yards and nine touchdowns, yet added an astounding 1,016 receiving yards on a league-high — yes, a running back led the league in receptions that year — 92 receptions?

Or how about Craig’s 1988 first-team All-Pro season when he amassed a league-leading 2,036 all-purpose yards?

Craig was the earlier version of another dual-threat back, Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk. And while Shanahan’s 2020 running back room is already deep, there’s zero questioning someone like the high-stepping Craig would be a weapon the head coach could never turn down.

Now, about getting that time machine built…