What each 49ers 2021 draftee must do to make 2022 roster
By Peter Panacy
Round 3: 49ers RB Trey Sermon — not lose to JaMycal Hasty, Jordan Mason
Aaron Banks might have been a rookie-year flop, but the expectation for him starting right away might have been slim anyway.
Not so much for the 49ers’ first of two third-round selections, running back Trey Sermon.
Sermon, like Banks, had an excellent opportunity to assert himself on offense early in the year after starting running back Raheem Mostert was lost in Week 1 to a season-ending knee injury. Yet it was fellow rookie running back Elijah Mitchell, the sixth-round pickup, who ended up commanding the lion’s share of carries on the ground.
As for Sermon, he managed a mere 167 rush yards and a measly 18.6 yards per game.
Mostert is gone, and Mitchell does come with injury concerns. That’s a boost for Sermon. Yet the Niners restocked their running back room by using yet another Round 3 pick on a running back this year, LSU’s Tyrion Davis-Price, who might directly challenge Sermon for a roster spot but could ultimately impact the number of carries the second-year pro has.
With veteran rusher Jeff Wilson Jr. also in the mix, Sermon could find himself the No. 4 option on a four-man halfback depth chart when the regular season.
To hold onto that spot, though, he has to ensure two other depth running backs, third-year pro JaMycal Hasty and undrafted free-agent Jordan Mason, don’t wind up unseating him.