SF 49ers: 4 players who need to see more playing time moving forward

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San Francisco 49ers running back JaMycal Hasty (38) Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 1: SF 49ers Running Back JaMycal Hasty

It seems as if it’s been a theme since training camp, but the SF 49ers need to make undrafted rookie running back JaMycal Hasty a bigger part of their offensive plans.

With Jeff Wilson likely sidelined for a while, paired with Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman still banged up, they might have to.

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Hasty has already had his share of impressive plays at various times this season, but his relief role in the wake of Wilson’s injury at Gillette Stadium gave a much better indication of the former’s potential abilities. The 5-foot-8, 205-pound runner is already a difficult tackle, given his low center of gravity, and his multi-cut abilities were on display during the game, too, forcing many a defender to miss.

Here’s a fun stat for you. Pro Football Focus’ elusiveness rating, which measures how tough it is for a defense to bring him down regardless of blocking, measures Hasty at 69.5.

That’s far and away the best out of the Niners’ deep running back room.

He’s only had 20 rush attempts this season, but Hasty is already averaging 5.2 yards per carry, just a few ticks behind Mostert’s team-leading 5.9-yard mark. And against the Patriots, Hasty managed an impressive 57 yards on nine rushes for an average of 6.3 yards per attempt.

That alone should be reason enough for Kyle Shanahan to use Hasty more.

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If he does, Hasty could wind up filling a role envisioned to be occupied by Coleman and Jerick McKinnon at the start of the season, although Hasty will be the much-cheaper option and under contractual control for a while.