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San Francisco 49ers: Top 3 Early Standouts From Training Camp

By Nico Di Fede

TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 30: Running back Tevin Coleman #26 of the Atlanta Falcons breaks a tackle attempt by defensive back Andrew Adams #26 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on his way to score in the third quarter of the game at Raymond James Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Will Vragovic/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 30: Running back Tevin Coleman #26 of the Atlanta Falcons breaks a tackle attempt by defensive back Andrew Adams #26 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on his way to score in the third quarter of the game at Raymond James Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Will Vragovic/Getty Images) /
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San Francisco 49ers
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 09: Tevin Coleman #26 of the Atlanta Falcons runs against Tony Brown #28 of the Green Bay Packers during the second half of a game at Lambeau Field on December 09, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

2. Tevin Coleman

A big discussion when it comes to the 49ers offense has been who will start at running back. Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida and Jerick McKinnon are all pretty similar running backs skill set wise.

All are fast, quick, and can catch out of the backfield. All three are seen as good change-of-pace backs, but not true bell-cow backs.

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Coleman seems to be the front-runner for the job as of now with some impressive practices in the absence of McKinnon who just recently returned to practice after recovering from a torn ACL that kept him out all of the 2018 season.

And in that 2018 season, Coleman had the best year of his career rushing for 800 yards with a 4.8 average to go along with 276 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.

He started his career with Kyle Shanahan as his offensive coordinator in Atlanta, so while he’s the newest of the three backs to the team, he should still be familiar with the offense for the most part and he is a perfect fit for it with his versatility.

As said earlier, he is very similar to Breida and McKinnon, but he is a lot bigger and can take more of a beating then the others. Because of that, it makes sense that he seems to be the best option as the starter.

While the other two backs are pretty good as receivers, Coleman is on another level. The 26-year-old has been the second-highest graded running back on receiver routes in the NFL since 2016, only topped by Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson.

Because all three of the 49ers running backs can catch out of the backfield, it will be interesting to see how much the ball gets spread around, which running backs play what role, and which one may be left out and without a role.