Good Day Niner faithful
It’s another golden day in the Golden State. The temperatures are rising the sun is out and summer is nearly upon us. As gorgeous as it is, I’m not here to talk about this amazing California weather. No, no, no….I’m here to talk about something else that’s heating up, the 49ers running back room. After a somewhat surprising, yet aggressive 2021 NFL draft, the Niners collected two new running backs to join the room creating a bit of uncertainty headed into this 2021 season. We know Raheem Mostert is most likely day 1 starter but his contract is coming to an end and with little space and bigger names to sign the future at RB seems a bit “up in the air” for the NFLs best ground game. As always stay tuned for up to date news with Niner Faithful Radio, but if your a reader like myself I got it all here for you position by position as the summer swells and the boys prepare for another quest ahead. Jumping in first at Running Back number one on the depth chart, lets focus in on the dream, Raheem Mostert…
Raheem Mostert #31
A former Underdog turned perennial 3 down back, Raheem Mostert is the staple of the 49ers rushing attack. A skilled running back he displays speed and agility and he harnesses a unique ability to see the field wide open. Any hole created, any mismatch or any angle he’s liable to explode for BIG plays. Raheem showed many flashes of greatness in his 5 going on 6 seasons with the Niners. The NFC title game vs GB specifically is one that I’m sure we all remember the best. The future is wide open for Mostert, he’s boasted a pretty impressive 1500 yards and 11 touchdowns in his 2 full time seasons with us. Coming into a contract season he looks to bounce back from injury and create highlights that’ll impress all the free agency suitors. 2022 and beyond is a mystery for Raheem the Dream Mostert but 2021 will begin with him at the helm of what could end up being the greatest running attack of all time.
Jeff Wilson Jr #41
What can I say about Jeff Wilson Jr. He’s twenty-five years old and just signed a one-year deal with us, giving him one more shot to create a highlight reel of broken tackles and forcing defenders to consume his dust. Boasting a combined 10 touchdowns overall last season (7 rush and 3 rec), Wilson Jr. lead the Niners for running backs and wide receivers who scored. Jeff Wilson Jr. was one of the few bright spots on our team last season before also succumbing to injury, this young man is no joke! He has speed, vision and he looks use those skills to keep climbing the depth chart that he is so seamlessly transcended in his 2 seasons with us. While not as expensive as Raheem Mostert may end up being, Jeff Wilson Jr. Is also most likely to hit the free-agent market in the coming off-season. One of the few players who decided to return on a one-year “let’s get this finished” deal, Jeff Wilson Jr. looks to take up his place as the second back on the depth chart and show the rookies behind him just how it’s done in the empire!
Jamychal Hasty #38
Hasty is one of the cases in this running back room that may not see the light of day come Week 1, despite young raw talent, he’s young and he’s fast and I liked what I saw in the few carries that he had before his collar bone injury. (39 carries for 148 yards and a TD.) I have him as a possible practice squad running back, the rookies we drafted seem to have a little more upside and I haven’t even mentioned Wayne Gallman yet.
Wayne Gallman-22
Wayne Gallman produced a noteworthy 650 yards filling in for New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley last season. Also young in the legs what impresses me the most was his 4.8 yards per carry behind a sub-par offensive line. My imagination salivates at what could possibly be produced by him behind our impressive Shanahan built offensive line. Gallman comes in fresh to the Niner family but not without competition. He will have to fight his way for a spot on this team and I wouldn’t have it any other way. As they say, “Iron sharpens iron” and this running back room is filled with swords.
Kyle Juszczyk #44
Last but certainly not least, I want to touch on a player who I feel is the heart and soul of this team. When he’s in, he breathes life into our ground game. When he’s out, our ground game looks a little more stale. A little less explosive. If you are a 49er fan, the man needs no introduction. I’m talking about Kyle Juszczyk, big number 44, the Harvard graduate! I originally was going to slide juice into an article about our specialists cause he’s surely a jack of all trades, Swiss army knife kind of player but I started thinking, how do I do a whole running back piece without mentioning juice? As we all know the Niners nearly lost him this offseason. Thank our stars the time in Cabo reminded him who his family is. All it took was a boat ride with George and Kyle mulling over if he’s going to go home to his family on the east coast or stay home with his family on the west and luckily we got our answer in the form of a reunion by way of a 5 year 27 million dollar deal and possible finish to his career in the Bay. I’m extremely confident in our run game as long as Kyle Juszczyk is on the field. Pair his abilities with Kittle and you can really plug any running back in there and I feel like that guy will succeed. It’s not an understatement when I say he is the heart and soul of Kyle Shanahan’s offense. That would have been a big loss HAD we lost him and I think my lucky stars that we didn’t. I’ll add that we do have another FB on our roster, Josh Hokit. I personally know Josh from his college days in my hometown of Fresno, CA where he was named athlete of the year by the Fresno Bee. I am pretty sure he’s just going to be around for practice squad stuff and not a FB competition but I’m also confident having watched him at Fresno State that the guy is very “Juszczyk like” in his ability to play almost any position on the football field. I can’t imagine we’re going to keep two fullbacks on our roster and I don’t see a day where Kyle Juszczyk isn’t the 49ers starting FB, but Hokit is some nice depth if injuries persist.
Rookies:
The 2021 NFL draft was clouded by the wild trade that took place days prior to round 1 that saw the 49ers move up from the 12th overall pick to the 3rd and select quarterback Trey Lance out of North Dakota State University. While the media was enamored by this trade and pick for weeks, two dark horses slipped onto the draft board and landed themselves in the perfect position to make a name behind an offensive line built to carry running backs. Pick 88 in the 3rd round saw the Niners select Trey Sermon out of Ohio State. Falling to the 3rd round has been widely considered a steal as he boasted an average 7.5 yards of carry at Ohio State last season. His upside is the moon and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw him launch to a possible second or third down back by the end of training camp. The sky’s the limit for the Sermon in SF.
Elijah Mitchell on the other hand had to wait a little longer to see what team he would eventually land on. Picked by SF in the sixth round Mitchell put up 1147 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2019 for Louisiana a year later in a wild season marred by the COVID- 19 pandemic he would still rally for 878 yards and eight touchdowns in 2020. Athletically gifted and second to maybe just Travis Etienne in this year’s draft, Mitchell could be a surprise monster in Shanahan’s offense. He is my personal Dark Horse in the running back room, but only time will tell.
Overall the San Francisco Forty Niners are primed to pick up where they left off back in 2019 behind a rebuilt offensive line and a running back room consisting of both Veterans and Rookies who are all playing for something to prove in this Niner offense. To me it seems like Kyle Shanahan has finally built his four headed monster in the backfield. I’m truly excited to watch this team run the ball this season and I think you will be too. Expect big things. I do. If you are still reading don’t forget to check out Niner Faithful Radio every week for your podcast and Niner News! Go Niners