The San Francisco 49ers haven’t had a lot of success drafting running backs in recent years.
Including 2026, the 49ers have drafted seven running backs since head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch took over in 2017. Only one (Elijah Mitchell in 2021) has rushed for more than 1,000 career yards, and he hasn’t been on the team in two years.
Now, the 49ers haven’t needed much from their young running backs since they traded for Christian McCaffrey in 2022, but the only young rusher to look remotely solid was Jordan Mason, who had a solid 5.3 yards per carry average in his three seasons after going undrafted in 2022.
This does not bode well for 2026 third-round pick Kaelon Black, who is expected to compete with Jordan James and Isaac Guerendo to be McCaffrey’s backup.
The former Indiana Hoosiers star has a very clear goal in mind, then, for how he wants to shape his career. He doesn’t want to be remembered as one of those ill-fated mid-round running backs drafted for the 49ers.
“I know one of the things I was hit with before was San Francisco has a habit of drafting running backs in the third to the fifth round, and they don’t play or they don’t pan out, and I’m just trying to change that narrative for myself,” Black told the San Francisco Chronicle. “I don’t want to get grouped with anybody in the past. I’m really just in my own lane, it’s how I’ve been my whole life.”
Black’s freshness might be an advantage for him, as Guerendo seems to have all fallen out of favor with the team and James is still an unknown after missing most of the 2025 season.
But the fact that he understands the stigma attached to his position is already a step in the right direction for the young running back. Black just needs to live up to his end of the deal.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Rookie aims to rewrite the narrative on 49ers drafting his position
Reporting by Oliver G., Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
