Carlos Hyde certainly would have had his first 1,000-yard rushing season in 2016 if an injury hadn’t sidelined him at the end of the season.
Over just 13 games, Hyde rushed for a career-high 988 yards and 4.6 yards per carry, his best mark in his three-year pro career. He also caught 27 passes, also a career high.
So, at just 26 years old, Hyde seems poised for a big year with the 49ers in Kyle Shanahan’s new offense.
Though Hyde has had trouble staying on the field because of health issues — he missed two games in 2014, nine in 2015 and three in 2016 — he’s shown himself to a physical running back with good breakaway ability.
As the 49ers prepare for training camp this week, at least one analyst — who knows a little something about running backs — believes Hyde could be primed for a big year in 2017.
Former Chargers star LaDainian Tomlinson, now an NFL.com analyst, projects Hyde for 1,300 rushing yards and 10 or more touchdowns.
“Hyde has slowly improved, production-wise, in the last three seasons,” said Tomlinson, who cited his numbers since his rookie season. “ … If he’s able to take care of his body and stay on the field he’s going to do wonders for a 49ers offense that has ranked 31st overall in each of the last two seasons. The talent is there for Hyde to have a huge year.”
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Both Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, however, don’t want to see the same Hyde in 2016. They want to see an even better version.
“I don’t think he’s a finished product,” Shanahan told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch this spring. “I think there’s a lot more to his game and I look forward to us helping bring that out.”
