The San Francisco 49ers have made their third-round selection, and they decided to go with running back Kaelon Black out of Indiana University.
Many fans and analysts immediately felt it was a reach, as he was projected to go in the late rounds, and the pick has a chance to continue a disappointing trend with third-round running backs taken by the Niners under general manager John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan.
Say the names Trey Sermon or Tyrion Davis-Price to 49ers fans, and they may start to involuntarily sweat. During the Shanahan era, San Francisco hasn't had a great record when it comes to drafting running backs. Throw other players like Joe Williams and Isaac Guerendo into the mix, and it’s fair to say the only successful running back drafted by the current regime is Elijah Mitchell, and even he didn’t last all that long.
They’ve had better luck with undrafted running backs like Matt Breida, or random guys who were scooped up like Raheem Mostert. So, the natural impulse is to think that Black is going to join this unsavory group of players fans have grumbled about for years.
Maybe Black breaks the cycle, though.
He had over 1,000 rushing yards for the Hoosiers last year, but that was really his only big season in college. He had 10 touchdowns on the ground but was a non-factor in the pass game, catching just four passes for 36 yards last season.
The 24-year-old draftee is only 5-foot-10 but weighs 211 pounds and ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash. He’s seen as a workhorse-type of back and seems somewhat similar to what backup Brian Robinson Jr. brought to the table for the Niners last season. Black is also seen as an impressive blocker in the pass game.
With Christian McCaffrey in the fold, Black may very well not see a lot of playing time next season. But if McCaffrey gets hurt, and the 49ers burn through running backs the way they did in 2024, then we may see very quickly if Black is yet another bust the Niners reached on, or if he is someone that has potential.
The depth chart behind McCaffrey is somewhat uncertain right now, so there is a chance for Black to impress and maybe become the No. 2 or No. 3 guy on the depth chart.
History tells us the 49ers made yet another third-round mistake, but they have to be due to hit on one eventually, right? Right???
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