After a rather successful OTAs and mandatory minicamp, the San Francisco 49ers will now turn their attention to training camp next month. Rookies will report to the SAP Performance Facility for camp on July 15.
Meanwhile, the veterans will report for training camp a week later on July 22. The 49ers have a lot of spots on the 53-man roster up for grabs heading into camp and preseason, including at running back.
As we know, Christian McCaffrey, Isaac Guerendo, and rookie Jordan James have their spots locked in. However, due to the overabundance of talent at the position, including the addition of an exciting UDFA RB, it would not be surprising to see the 49ers kick Israel Abanikanda to the curb in the coming weeks.
Israel Abanikanda May Be on Chopping Block
The 22-year-old Abanikanda joined the 49ers late last season after getting cut by the New York Jets. The young running back was selected in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but didn’t play much in the Big Apple after a productive college career.
In his last year of college football at the University of Pittsburgh, Abanikanda went off for 1,431 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on 239 carries. Despite an outstanding junior year at Pitt, he couldn’t get much playing time with the Jets.
Abanikanda appeared in six games with New York as a rookie in 2024 and had 113 yards from scrimmage on 29 touches.
When the 49ers picked the former Jet up in December, it seemed like he could be an intriguing prospect, given the injuries in the running back room. However, Abanikanda never saw any time as he was inactive for the rest of last season.
Fast forward to this summer, and he’s facing an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster. San Fran brought back Patrick Taylor on a one-year deal, who played well last season in spot duty and on special teams.
And not to mention, the 49ers have Kiner and James, who have already caught the attention of star running back Christian McCaffrey.
"Yeah, he's been great," McCaffrey said regarding Kiner (h/t 49ers WebZone). "Both our rookie running backs have been awesome. They show up every day, they work hard, they listen, they're attentive, they practice hard."
Given that the 49ers specifically scouted those guys, especially Kiner, they would likely want to see what those guys can do with more reps over a guy like Abanikanda. Now that’s not to say we won’t see Abanikanda again, as he looks like the perfect practice squad stash candidate later this summer.
That said, San Francisco is better off pouring into Kiner and James to see if they can impress and put some good things on film in the preseason. Also, the 49ers could use Abanikanda’s spot on the roster to add to another position of need over the next several weeks.