49ers training camp: Rookie stock watch after one week of practice
By Peter Panacy
49ers training camp rookie stock watch: RB Tyrion Davis-Price
If San Francisco had a questionable pick in the 2022 draft, it was using a Round 3 selection on former LSU running back Tyrion Davis-Price despite having used a third-rounder on running back Trey Sermon a year ago and also having its leading rusher, Elijah Mitchell, poised for another quality season.
Diving deeper, the decision to draft Davis-Price makes a lot of sense, yet it wasn’t totally clear whether or not the rookie would make any sort of substantial impact right away.
Sure, Davis-Price is showing some early problems catching the ball out of the backfield. But, as Sports Illustrated’s Grant Cohn broke down after one particular day of practice where the rookie impressed, Davis-Price is surely making his presence known:
"He’s the opposite of Trey Sermon, who is in terrific shape, but is not explosive and is indecisive. Sermon repeatedly stops his feet behind the line of scrimmage and looks to bounce runs outside even though he’s not fast enough to do so. Davis-Price finds a crease and explodes through it as hard as he can. I prefer his style to Sermon’s style."
The 49ers need Davis-Price’s physicality and tough running style to bully opposing defenses early in games, thereby opening things up for the faster, more elusive Mitchell later on. Additionally, the Niners struggled in short-yardage rushing situations a year ago, suggesting another role for the rookie, too.
So far, so good.