49ers roster: Tyrion Davis-Price won’t be a washout draft pick
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers surprised many when they selected LSU running back Tyrion Davis-Price in Round 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft, but he might end up being a gem.
There’s a trend of many an NFL fan and pundit when it comes to surprising picks in the NFL Draft.
If it’s initially looked at as bad or shocking, that’s usually the kneejerk reaction. After a while, though, most of us talk ourselves into accepting the pick. And then we end up loving it until things actually turn out bad.
At the risk of doing this very thing with the San Francisco 49ers’ rather shocking third-round selection of former LSU running back Tyrion Davis-Price, whom we tabbed as the worst pick they made in the 2022 draft, let’s try flipping the narrative and explore why it’s actually a good move from the Niners’ vantage point.
| Rushing | Receiving | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| *2019 | LSU | SEC | FR | RB | 14 | 64 | 295 | 4.6 | 6 | 10 | 74 | 7.4 | 0 | 74 | 369 | 5.0 | 6 |
| 2020 | LSU | SEC | SO | RB | 9 | 104 | 446 | 4.3 | 3 | 8 | 47 | 5.9 | 0 | 112 | 493 | 4.4 | 3 |
| *2021 | LSU | SEC | JR | RB | 12 | 211 | 1003 | 4.8 | 6 | 10 | 64 | 6.4 | 0 | 221 | 1067 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Career | LSU | 379 | 1744 | 4.6 | 15 | 28 | 185 | 6.6 | 0 | 407 | 1929 | 4.7 | 15 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 6/13/2022.
Sure, San Francisco already used a third-round pick on running back Trey Sermon a year ago, yet Sermon didn’t exactly break out in year one, amassing just 167 yards. But the production from fellow 2021 rookie Elijah Mitchell, who rushed for 963 yards in 11 games, made this selection feel a bit redundant.
That said, there’s an avenue where Davis-Price winds up getting the bulk of starts right away.
More on that later, but let’s explore why the 93rd overall pick from the 2022 NFL Draft makes sense for the 49ers and why he might end up being more important than many expect.