49ers: 5 players put on notice by San Francisco’s NFL Draft moves

No. 2: 49ers RB Raheem Mostert

I think even Raheem Mostert would agree the pressure is on this season following the pair of moves the Niners made during this year’s draft when they picked not one, but two rookie running backs to join the already crowded running back room for 2021.

Both Ohio State’s Trey Sermon and Louisiana’s Elijah Mitchell have proved they were more than effective running backs at the college level and will absolutely be utilized to the extent of their abilities by Kyle Shanahan throughout the year.

This is obviously bad news for Mostert, who is entering the final year of his contract with the 49ers and is pretty much a lock to be replaced following this season.

Mostert, like K’Waun Williams, is up there in age and is entering his age-29 season, which is basically the equivalent to the age-40 season for quarterbacks, so he may very well be playing his games as a “No. 1 rusher.”

The 49ers are known league-wide as a team that employs multiple rushers within their offensive schemes, which limits the individual production of any single rusher. This didn’t pose as much of a threat in the past, as Mostert was clearly the best running back on the team. But that may not be the case anymore, as Sermon was drafted in the third round by Shanahan and John Lynch, a duo that is renowned for opting to use undrafted players at the running back position.

So that goes to show just how much they see in Sermon as a rusher. Not to mention they also traded two fourth-round picks to get him.

The future doesn’t look so bright for Mostert, and he will without a doubt have to watch his back this year, or he may be at risk of losing his spot as the team’s first option on the running back depth chart.