10 greatest 49ers one-hit wonders in franchise history

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San Francisco 49ers running back Matt Breida (22) Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /

49ers one-hit wonder No. 9: Running back Matt Breida (2018)

When head coach Kyle Shanahan took over the franchise in 2017, many expected the team’s fourth-round NFL Draft pick, Joe Williams, to be the primary player to support the running back Shanahan inherited from the previous regime, Carlos Hyde.

Yet a relatively unknown tailback named Matt Breida turned the bulk of heads during offseason workouts, and the undrafted free agent would rush for a modestly impressive 465 yards his rookie season while Williams would miss the entirety of 2017.

A year later, as Williams again missed the regular-season cut and Hyde was no longer in the picture, Breida subsequently went on to lead the Niners in rushing with a whopping 814 yards and averaging 5.3 yards per attempt.

Combined with him being the NFL’s fastest ball-carrier that season, one rightfully thought Breida was in for big things as a perfect example of hidden-gem talent.

Yet Breida fell out of favor the following season, as fellow running back Raheem Mostert received the spotlight, leading to the former being off the roster in 2020 where he subsequently faded into obscurity.