49ers dig deep on talented running back class at NFL Scouting Combine

INDIANAPOLIS – The 49ers currently do not have their top running back from a year ago under contract.

Carlos Hyde, who rushed for 938 yards and added a team-high 59 receptions for 350 yards, will be allowed on March 12 to begin negotiating contracts with other teams around the NFL. How those teams value Hyde will likely determine if he remains with the 49ers.

Coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear he wants Hyde back with the 49ers. But it would have to be a contract that works for both sides. And one element that will play a factor in the free-agent market for running backs is a deep and talented group of players available in the draft.

The 49ers could easily decide to not make a significant investment in a free-agent running back and, instead, address the need with a selection within the first four rounds of the draft.

“That whole dynamic of that position, in many people’s minds, is losing value, but I think much like a quarterback, when there’s a great one, it’s tough to deal with,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said of the running back position. "I know that from playing defense.

“So I think is that changing? I don’t know. I think everyone has their own perspective. But that is a position where you can affect a game in a great way.”

Coach Kyle Shanahan’s father, Mike Shanahan, had uncommon success on his Denver Broncos teams with running backs discovered late in drafts, such as Terrell Davis (sixth round), Olandis Gary (fourth round) and Mike Anderson (sixth round). The Broncos also selected Clinton Portis in the second round.

“Everyone says you can get running backs later in the draft, which you can,” Kyle Shanahan said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “You can also get them early in the Draft. I think if Le’Veon Bell came out this year, I’m sure he’d be a top-five pick. I think he went in the second round. I think David Johnson would be the same.

“People always want to find those top running backs. People have found a lot of running backs later in rounds like what Kareem Hunt did this year. You always go back to Terrell Davis and those people. You don’t have to get them in the first round, more like you do a tackle or an elite pass rusher. But, still, if there’s a running back there that you think is going to be like some of those guys I mentioned, then that guy is worth the first pick in the draft just like anybody else would be.”

The 49ers own the No. 9 overall pick in the draft, and probably will not be in the market for a running back at that point, regardless of what happens with Hyde in free agency.

Saquon Barkley has firmly established himself as a top-five selection after a sensational final season at Penn State. He had a dynamic showing at the combine with his unique blend of size (6-foot, 233 pounds), strength (29 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press) and speed (4.40 in the 40-yard dash).

The 49ers had a 15-minute interview with Barkley, and most of all the other top prospects, at the combine. Here are some other of the top running backs who are expected to be selected within the top four rounds:

Derrius Guice, LSU
Size: 5-10, 224
Speed: 4.49
Has good speed, balance and power, and demonstrates good patience and discipline in allowing the holes to open. “A lot of guys say I can't catch and stuff just because on film I don't really catch as much, because we don't throw the ball,” Guice said.

Ronald Jones, USC
Size: 5-11, 205
Speed: 4.65
A one-cut runner with an ability to make plays on his own. Shanahan wants running backs who have big-play ability and Jones has that capability with his knack for making tacklers miss. (Jones pulled up with a hamstring injury while running his first 40-yard dash at the combine.) “I think I’m best in between the tackles, outside zone, counter plays,” Jones said. “I like to do it all.”

Sony Michel, Georgia
Size: 5-11, 214
Speed: 4.54
His versatility would fit well with Shanahan’s offense, including his ability to effortlessly catch the ball out of the backfield. Michel is often compared to the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. “Alvin Kamara has great skills, so it's an honor for me,” Michel said. “But at the end of the day, he's in the NFL already, so I have to earn my way through this process.”

Nick Chubb, Georgia
Size: 5-11, 227
Speed: 4.52
Chubb does everything well, but he has to prove he can be effective in the passing game – both as a receiver and blocker – to remain on the field for third downs. When asked which part of his game best translates to the NFL, Chubb answered, “Probably just the tough, running downhill part.”

Rashaad Penny, San Diego State
Size: 5-11, 220
Speed: 4.46
He led college football in rushing with 2,248 yards and 23 touchdowns. His size and speed should translate very well to the next level. “I'm just a patient runner,” Penny said. “I see whatever that's open and I just go and hit it. That's how most guys say they see me.”

Royce Freeman, Oregon
Size: 5-11, 229
Speed: 4.54
He’s a versatile runner with good vision and the ability to have success on inside and outside runs. Here’s how Freeman described his meeting at the combine with the 49ers: “It was great. It was good energy in the room and overall good vibes.”

Kalen Ballage, Arizona State
Size: 6-1, 228
Speed: 4.46
He’s a strong inside runner with straight line speed to outrun defenders in the open field. He has good hands and can also contribute in the return game. He said he molds his style after David Johnson. “I feel like he’s a bigger back that can catch the ball out of the backfield,” Ballage said.

Nyheim Hines, N.C. State
Size: 5-8, 198
Speed: 4.38
Hines does not have the size to be an every-down running back, but he would be a big-play performer who can line up all over the field and be a force in the return game, too. “A lot of people don’t realize that I have a foundation at receiver and not many running backs have that,” Hines said. “No many running backs do kick return and punt return or could even have the skills to play gunner. I think that’s what really makes me different.”

Bo Scarbrough, Alabama
Size: 6-1, 228
Speed: 4.52
He is a powerful runner much in the mold of Hyde. He runs hard and does not shy away from contact, which means his body takes a beating. Rather than making tacklers miss, he runs through them. He said, “Backs like us, we bring the power to the game. We can get those extra 2, 3 yards that a team actually needs.”