49ers are proof that you don’t need to invest high in running backs

The San Fransisco 49ers have found plenty of success on the ground over the past four years despite never having a high-profile running back.

Running games are important in the NFL; there shouldn’t be a whole lot of pushback there. However, when we are talking about individual running backs, that’s an entirely different matter. Sadly, many fans have yet to come to the understanding that you don’t need a household name in the backfield to have ample success on the ground.

I blame fantasy football for a lot of this. Millions of fantasy players see how often their star running backs touch the ball and the raw numbers they are able to put up each week — oftentimes inflating their actual value to the team. In reality, all teams really need to have is an efficient running game. This doesn’t always mean having a lead dog that carries the load or earns Pro Bowl recognition.

The San Francisco 49ers have been a perfect example of this. Over the past four years, Kyle Shanahan’s team has never finished below 15th in rushing. Last year they were 7th in total rushing yards and in 2019, they finished 2nd in the league with 153.5 rushing yards per game, according to Team Rankings.

Though they were just average in terms of yards per carry each of the past two seasons, their running game was still more impressive than you might realize. In 2021, the 49ers finished 4th in rushing DVOA (defense-adjusted value over expected), via Football Outsiders. Essentially, this is a measure that considers many variables to determine efficiency.

49ers don’t need a top-flight RB

How have the 49ers found such consistent and efficient success on the ground over the years? They certainly didn’t do so by forking up first and second-round picks for running backs or signing the most high-profile free agents to tout the rock. Rather, Shanahan knows what to look for in a running back and understands that the offensive line and scheme are more important.

Despite the success they have found in San Fransico, nobody considered players like Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, or Elijah Mitchell to be the ‘cream of the crop.’ Yet each of these backs has found success on the 49ers offense.

In 2018, Breida carved up defenses for 5.3 yards per carry. The following year, it was Mostert who diced teams for 5.6 yards an attempt. Last year, it was Mitchell who found success with 4.7 yards per carry, via Pro Football Reference.

What does this tell you? For one thing, speed kills. Running backs with burst tend to hit the hole hard and are typically the most efficient. Breida, Mostert, and Mitchell each tested as great athletes and ran in the 4.3s at their Pro Days prior to entering the league.

Perhaps even more important is that this tells you that you don’t need to spend elite draft capital on running backs (and shouldn’t, for that matter). Over the past eight years, San Fransico has never spent more than a third-round draft choice on a running back.

This doesn’t always work out either. Trey Sermon is evidence of this, as the team released the former 88th overall pick after just one season. However, spending little investment on ‘SPARQ’ athletes is a strategy that has really paid dividends for the 49ers under Shanahan, and there’s no reason that shouldn’t continue.

When it comes to the running back position, the 49ers are well ahead of the game, while other organizations are stuck in the past — believing that it’s still important to draft RBs high and pay them big second contracts. As long as the 49ers continue to cycle through fast running backs and invest in their offensive line, I don’t see their success changing anytime soon.