49ers depth chart: 3 formerly injured players who are X-factors in 2020

No. 1: 49ers Running Back Jerick McKinnon

While the Niners arguably have more question marks at wide receiver and still boast a stocked running back room, Kyle Shanahan’s squad is still a run-first team. And dynamic at that.

San Francisco 49ers

Running back Jerick McKinnon, who missed the last two years recovering from an early 2018 ACL tear, will still have to both prove his health and compete with fellow runners Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman, among others, on the 49ers depth chart.

But let’s recall how Shanahan said McKinnon’s injury “changes things pretty drastically” when referencing his offense that year.

Yes, the Niners were looking at McKinnon being a vital cog in their offense two years ago. It’s one of the reasons why Shanahan and Co. went so hard after McKinnon in free agency that year.

McKinnon’s value lies in a number of different areas: elusiveness, pass blocking, speed, cutback ability and so much more. The kind of planning Shanahan could put into his offense might easily revolve around what the running back can do, and teams have yet to see that put into practice.

Plus, with such a deep running back room already, Shanahan won’t be forced into rushing McKinnon back into the fray on a full-time basis right out of the gate. No, McKinnon can get his proverbial “football legs” back underneath him at an appropriate time, perhaps saving his best efforts for late in the season when San Francisco’s other runners are banged up a bit and in need of rest.

If McKinnon winds up providing a serious thump, it’ll almost be like the 49ers getting an entirely new player to help spark the offense in it’s top method of operating.