4 veterans who’ll be pushed off 49ers roster by 2021 draft picks

No. 1: 49ers Running Back JaMycal Hasty

Things are a little tricky here because of injury, but the Niners adding two running backs via the NFL Draft, Ohio State’s Trey Sermon in Round 3 and Louisiana-Lafayette’s Elijah Mitchell in Round 6, added even more to an already-crowded depth chart entering 2021.

True, waiving depth running back Austin Walter and the eventual placement of veteran runner Jeff Wilson Jr. (knee) on the physically unable-to-play list opens up some doors for backup rushers to make the roster.

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But with Sermon and now Mitchell fully in tow, there are still going to be roster subtractions when accounting for veterans like Raheem Mostert, Wayne Gallman and JaMycal Hasty.

Hasty, who suffered a torn ACL last year after flashing some modest promise as a pass-catching scatback, might not even be ready to go by training camp because of his injury, which occurred in October of 2020.

Yet San Francisco is likely looking closer at developing Mitchell, another pass-catching one-cut runner, and could have far more interest in ensuring his success compared to that of Hasty.

In all honesty, Hasty’s injury could potentially work in his favor, especially if he winds up being designated on some sort of injury list to start the season and is essentially stashed as a reserve for a would-be midseason call-up.

But Wilson factors into that equation, too, meaning Hasty might end up being an odd player out regardless.