49ers updated roster bubble watch after 2021 OTAs

49ers Bubble Watch: Running Back

Lock: Kyle Juszczyk, Raheem Mostert, Trey Sermon

Strong Bubble: Wayne Gallman, JaMycal Hasty, Elijah Mitchell

Weak Bubble: None

Long Shot: Josh Hokit

San Francisco lost running back Jeff Wilson Jr. to a torn meniscus, and he’ll land on the physically unable-to-play list to start the season, meaning he’ll be out until the middle of the year at the soonest.

This opens up the door for a still-deep crop of other rushers, though, namely depth candidates like Wayne Gallman, JaMycal Hasty and the sixth-round rookie, Elijah Mitchell.

Hasty might have been on the fringes after tearing his ACL late last year and the addition of Mitchell. But with the 49ers resting starting running back Raheem Mostert with a knee injury for much of OTAs, rookie runner Trey Sermon got plenty of work in with the first-team unit, leaving Mitchell and Hasty to split time with the second-teamers.

And by all accounts, both Hasty and Mitchell looked good at doing so.

Still, it’s likely Kyle Shanahan keeps only four halfbacks on his Week 1 53-man roster, meaning a player like Gallman, Hasty or even Mitchell could find himself the odd man out. Especially with Sermon performing well in Mostert’s absence.

Expect the Niners to keep Hokit around as a developmental piece on the practice squad.