SF 49ers: Debunking 3 myths about Kyle Shanahan

No. 2: Kyle Shanahan prefers speed over size with his SF 49ers ball-carriers

While Kyle Shanahan long has an association with preferring fast players (which head coach wouldn’t?), one of the other false truths is he’ll always go with speed instead of size.

Perhaps 2017 cemented this misnomer, as the SF 49ers entered that year with the shortest wide receiver room in the NFL. It’s true, you can look it up.

Highlighting that new-face cast was one particular speedster, wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, who stood at only 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds but had Olympic-level speed to burn and was featured regularly as a deep threat.

In subsequent years, though, Shanahan has seemingly leaned away from this trend. Case in point, look at some of the higher-profile ball-carrying weapons Shanahan has drafted as of late with their 40-yard pre-draft times:

• WR Deebo Samuel (5-foot-11, 214 pounds): 4.48
• WR Jalen Hurd (6-foot-4, 227 pounds): 4.64
• WR Brandon Aiyuk (6-foot-0, 205 pounds): 4.50
• WR Jauan Jennings (6-foot-3, 210 pounds): 4.72
• RB Trey Sermon (6-foot-1, 215 pounds): 4.58
• RB Elijah Mitchell (5-foot-11, 217 pounds): 4.32

Only two of those draftees, Samuel and Mitchell, clocked below the magical 4.50 40-yard time. And while both are also shorter than 6-foot, they’re not exactly smaller-bodied offensive weapons given their weight.

And receivers like Hurd and Jennings also suggest Shanahan is beginning to lean towards bigger, more physical receivers rather than small, fast and shifty offensive contributors.

Maybe Shanahan learned a balanced offense is a better offense.