The 49ers roster doesn’t give new head coach Kyle Shanahan many high-quality offensive pieces to work with in 2017.
He has no quarterback and few quality wide receivers and his offensive line needs some help. But at running back he has Carlos Hyde, and Shanahan is a fan of the former Ohio State standout who will be entering his fourth NFL season.
On Wednesday, Shanahan talked with the media while attending the annual NFL Combine in Indianapolis, and one of the topics he discussed was Hyde. Shanahan says he’s now had a chance to thoroughly watch film of the 49ers from 2016 and scout his own players and he believes Hyde has what it takes to be the 49ers’ No. 1 running back in a remade offense.
“I see Carlos being our back,” Shanahan said. “I was a fan of him coming out of college. I don’t think he’s a finished product. I think he’s got a lot more to his game, and I look forward to us bringing that out. Carlos was a great running back in college and he’s already put some great stuff on tape in the NFL. That’s why I look forward to having him and working with him.”
Hyde had his best pro season in 2016, gaining 988 yards rushing in 13 games, with a 4.6-yard average per carry and six touchdowns. As a receiver he had 27 catches for 163 yards and three TDs.
Hyde’s season ended with a knee injury suffered against the Rams in the 15th game of the team’s schedule, leaving him 12 yards shy of his first 1,000-yard season. He’s expected to be fully fit to participate in offseason practices.
Hyde this season will work with a new running backs coach, Bobby Turner, who followed Shanahan to San Francisco from Atlanta. Former running backs coach Tom Rathman said after this past season that he, too, believes Hyde will only get better, calling him a “work in progress.”
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“He’s moving in the right direction,” Rathman told reporters before he left the team. “He still has some growing to do as a football player to get to the level of player that everybody wants to be. He’s got the capability of doing it.”
It’s likely, however, that the 49ers will bring in a young running back in the upcoming draft to complement Hyde, create some depth at the position and provide a change-of-pace look for the offense.
