49ers absolutely must land Ty Chandler on Day 3 of NFL Draft

If the 49ers want to make life easier for Trey Lance in 2022, adding an explosive playmaker into the backfield like Ty Chandler will help tremendously.

The San Francisco 49ers could spend some of their 2022 late-round NFL Draft picks on a couple of offensive players to help bolster their depth. With the surrounding news of Deebo Samuel wanting out of San Francisco, the Niners need to add to the offense to help quarterback Trey Lance succeed in 2022.

San Francisco has nine draft picks remaining in the draft after being inactive on day one. With cornerback, safety, and offensive line most likely addressed early in the draft, expect them to use some of their six day-three picks on potential weapons in a deep draft class.

Last season, the 49ers found a diamond in the rough when they selected running back Elijah Mitchell in the sixth round, and with the loss of former running back Raheem Mostert to free agency, running back could be an option on day three.

49ers need to grab Ty Chandler on Day 3 of NFL Draft

North Carolina running back Ty Chandler could be an option for the Niners later in the draft. Chandler burst onto the scene last season for North Carolina, rushing for 1,092 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Sure, he hasn’t had the elite collegiate production over his career as some of the other running backs in this year’s draft. But he does possess elite speed, clocking a 4.38 40-yard dash time during the NFL Scouting Combine.

Chandler recorded the second-highest 40 time for the running back position in the draft class. His elite speed comes out on film, and Chandler has the traits the Niners look for in the running back position.

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Chandler also ran in a zone scheme last season for North Carolina.

Simply put, he fits what the 49ers want to do on the ground.

His metrics are very similar to Mitchell’s, as Chandler is around the same height and weight as Mitchell while also running similar splits during the combine, too. Chandler’s 10-yard split, 20 yard-split, and 40-yard dash times are all in the same range as Mitchell’s.

We have seen in the head coach Kyle Shanahan era how valuable speed, agility, and burst are for the running back position. Chandler does a lot of things well that the 49ers look for in running backs, and his patience and strength combined with his speed would make him a great fit for the backfield.

Shanahan has shown he likes to utilize multiple running backs in his offense, and with Trey Sermon being a question mark, it would be smart for the Niners to add another running back into the mix.

Having the chance to add another running back who has a similar skill set to Mitchell seems like a home run. The Niners desperately need running back depth behind Mitchell, and adding Chandler is a great fit.

Drafting Chandler could give San Francisco a one-two punch out of the backfield, similarly to when it had Mostert and Tevin Coleman splitting the backfield.

Factor in Trey Lance’s rushing ability. The 49ers could have a deadly run game in 2022.