Unlikely to make the roster, losing these players could still hurt the SF 49ers if they don’t make the practice squad.
With the regular season looming for the SF 49ers and training camp winding down, it’s time for the Niners to cut their roster to the group of players who will be playing for the team in Week 1.
With a Super Bowl being the goal for San Francisco this season, the team has a tough job in getting its optimal team selected without the benefit of preseason games to judge the players fighting for the last few spots on the roster.
With the COVID-19 epidemic resulting in a larger practice squad allotment than usual this year, the SF 49ers have the opportunity to stash some promising players onto the squad who aren’t quite ready to play yet.
But of course, players who get allocated to the practice squad can also be claimed by other teams looking for a bargain. That’s the way the game is played before the, well… actual game.
With no more camp, here are the three players the team needs to sneak onto the practice squad.
SF 49ers Player No. 1: JaMycal Hasty, Running back
It must be fun being in the running back rotation for San Francisco with head coach Kyle Shanahan utilizing every possible asset he has in a different way.
The real plus for the 49ers is their ability to get talent from the undrafted ranks and make them look like stars. Even in a pandemic, this has not ceased. This year, JaMycal Hasty fills that role of a potential steal from camp.
With Jerick McKinnon looking like a potential stud with his play in camp, there’s not much in the way of opportunity right now for Hasty to currently break into the 53 man roster given the Niners tend to have only four running backs on the regular-season group.
Hasty looked amazingly agile and quick in camp, and his ability to make a cut and hit the hole fits perfectly into the zone-blocking scheme Shanahan runs, which rewards running backs who have the patience to let the blockers hit their blocks.
Hasty looks like a worthy addition to the rotation down the line, and the 49ers need to find a way to stash him on the practice squad for if an injury hits the running back corps.