Much has been made about the San Francisco 49ers selecting former Indiana running back Kaelon Black No. 90 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. Many see him as a reach—but what if he's just a good football player and everyone else was late to the party?
Well, it turns out the Niners may have been onto something.
Black hasn't only blocked out the noise, he's addressed it head on. The doubt is fueling him, which bore out in the club's first day of organized team activities (OTAs) open to the media.
Black was reportedly "quite clearly" one of three "offensive standouts," per NBC Sports' Matt Maiocco, joined by wide receivers Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing.
49ers rookie Kaelon Black is wasting no time proving the doubters wrong
Of course, a single voluntary practice without pads will only take Black and San Francisco so far in terms of silencing the doubters. You have to start somewhere, though, and his strong initial impression can go a long way. He's checking a necessary box, albeit one incredibly early in the offseason.
If Black can capture the momentum and string together multiple positive sessions, then the Niners are really cooking. He's shown his talent when given the chance, as evidenced by a strong senior campaign during Indiana's dominant run to a National Championship in 2025.
Across 16 games last season, Black ran for 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns on 186 attempts, averaging a healthy 5.6 yards per tote. He was one of 199 backs who recorded at 25 carries and ranked well in the following categories, according to Pro Football Focus ($):
- 29th in breakaway yards (421)
- Tied for 19th in 15-plus yard gains on designed rushing attempts (16)
- Tied for 38th in first downs (51)
- Tied for 31st in explosive runs (26)
The 49ers clearly have high hopes for the rookie playmaker, considering head coach Kyle Shanahan has stated Black was the "second-rated back on [their] board." Whether the vision comes to fruition remains to be seen, yet it'll be fascinating to see what happens if things go as planned.
Third-year tailback Isaac Guerendo's future in San Francisco became an open question the moment Black entered the mix. Suddenly, the former suffered a torn pec while lifting weights and will be sidelined until "around the end of training camp" (h/t ESPN's Nick Wagoner).
Does Black render Guerendo, who's been floated as a cut/trade candidate, expendable?
Possibly, but it has to be refreshing for the Niners to see their divisive rookie making such an impression early.
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