San Francisco 49ers: Rookie RB Looks To Make An Impact
The San Francisco 49ers certainly had one of the more traumatic offseasons in recent history, but now it’s time to look ahead to the 2015 season. The team lost their franchise running back and fan favorite Frank Gore to free-agency. Now the Niners have to turn to some other players to pick up the workload at running back.
The obvious candidate for the majority of the carries, by default, is Carlos Hyde. There’s little doubt that Hyde is a competent player, but the question of how he holds up under the rigors of a 16-game season, in which he gets the bulk of the carries, will have to be answered.
The newest 49er in the backfield, Mike Davis, looks to get some action early on. The 49ers drafted the former South Carolina RB in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft, and will likely look to give him some short-yardage and goal-line carries right away. A four-star recruit from Georgia, Davis was ranked in the top ten players in the state, and top 60 in the country by ESPN back in 2012.
He’s a bulldog of a runner, frequently stiff-arming and leaving defenders in the dust.
Though he was a Gamecock at SC, he’s a bulldog of a runner, frequently stiff-arming and leaving defenders in the dust. He’s a unique combination of small enough to get through holes at 5’9″, but big enough to shed defenders at 217 pounds.
In addition, he is a tremendous downhill runner, always falling forward for extra yards. Though there were questions about his conditioning in 2014 compared to 2013, most experts agree it was a good pick for the 49ers.
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He earned a lot of praise prior to the draft, with his NFL.com draft profile even comparing him to Alfred Morris, another compact and strong runner in the NFL. One other comparison people are making is, of course, the former 49er Gore.
Both are compact, muscular runners with a bit of a mean streak on the field, constantly searching for contact. They both rely mostly on stiff arms and constantly churning legs to push forward and gain yards.
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The other quality that stands out about Davis is his hands. He may not be on the cover of Madden thanks to his catching abilities, but in film, he shows the consistent ability to put two hands on the ball and make things happen. He can be seen quite frequently receiving a screen or dump-off, as well as running short inside routes such as a slant, and catching the ball in front of the linebackers.
If Davis can be anything like Morris or Gore, the 49ers will have a great backfield with the addition of Reggie Bush, a healthy Kendall Hunter, a wildcard in rugby star Jarryd Hayne, and a hopefully dominant Hyde.
When the season opens, it should be safe to assume that the bulk of the carries go to Hyde and Bush, given that they have the most experience and have already put up promising numbers in the pros.
However, with a new coach, a very different team, and a new outlook on the new season, anything is possible. Don’t be surprised to see the 49ers try to mix things up and give more players like Davis opportunities this season.