Shanahan sees versatile McKinnon as piece that was missing from 49ers' offense

technical details

is_video => false
alias => "bayarea\/\/49ers\/shanahan-sees-versatile-mckinnon-piece-was-missing-49ers-offense"
nid => "303126"
title => "Shanahan sees versatile McKinnon as piece that was missing from 49ers' offense"
is_chrome_page => false
article_body => "The player Kyle Shanahan studied on video was a lot better than the player he saw on the stat sheet.<\/p>\nThe 49ers coach said he places a lot more emphasis on how he projects a player in his offense than what the player did with his former team.<\/p>\nAnd that is why the 49ers placed a large priority on signing former Minnesota Vikings running back Jerick McKinnonon the first day of the free-agent signing period. McKinnon comes to the 49ers on a four-year, $30 million contract with $11.7 million guaranteed.<\/p>\nMcKinnon's stats might not suggest he is anywhere near a top running back in the NFL, but Shanahan sees it differently. And that is why the 49ers opted to pursue McKinnon instead of Carlos Hyde.<\/p>\n\u201cI don\u2019t know the numbers until I like the guy,\u201d Shanahan said. \u201cI always watch the guy first, and turn on the tape and get lost in it for a while. There were so many things I liked about him, visualizing how we would use him and stuff he would do. And even though there wasn\u2019t a ton of it, you still got to see him do some stuff that we do a lot. Where he did it, he excelled a ton and was very good at it.<\/p>\n\u201cEventually, I look at the numbers and it did surprise me. Then you go back and you try to see why. I\u2019m not going to get into all the whys, but I know all the stuff we liked about him, we cut up those numbers. I think they would\u2019ve been good numbers.\u201d<\/p>\nIn four NFL seasons as a part-time player, McKinnon (5-9, 205), averaged 4.0 yards per rushing attempt. The past two years, he gained 539 and 570 yards with rushing averages of just 3.4 and 3.8 yards.<\/p>\nHyde (6-foot, 230) is a bigger back with more production in his career. He rushed for 988 and 938 yards in 2016 and \u201917 with averages of 4.6 and 3.9 yards.<\/p>\nShanahan said he looked at every player who was available, and McKinnon was the player he evaluated to be the best of all the free agents. Shanahan has long valued running backs who are versatile in the run and pass games with an ability to make defenders miss.<\/p>\n\u201cA good run is when you get more yards than what it was blocked for,\u201d Shanahan said. \u201cSometimes, runs are blocked for negative 1 (yard) and the best run in the game was a 1-yard carry.<\/p>\n\u201cSometimes the one that most people could do is a 60-yarder because it was a busted coverage or a busted front and nobody was there. Numbers do tell stuff, but it\u2019s never an absolute.\"<\/p>\nThe 49ers signed McKinnon to be the starting running back with Matt Breida likely mixing into the action. The 49ers could also be in the market to add to the competition and depth through the draft.<\/p>\nShanahan is likely to deploy multiple players, just as he did successfully with Atlanta Falcons running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. McKinnon is expected to take Freeman\u2019s role. In each of Shanahan\u2019s two seasons as Falcons offensive coordinator, Freeman accounted for more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage. He rushed for 1,056 and 1,079 yards while catching 578 and 462 yards in passes.<\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m just excited to be in the offense that I feel is a perfect fit for me,\u201d McKinnon said on Thursday at Levi\u2019s Stadium in Santa Clara.<\/p>\n\u201cThings that coach Shanahan has done with the backs like he did in Atlanta with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, I see myself doing those kinds of things. For me, I feel like the scheme is right. The fit was just perfect for me. I feel like I can\u2019t be in a better situation as a player.\u201d<\/p>\nShanahan said he liked McKinnon as a draft prospect in 2014 out of Georgia Southern but it was more difficult to evaluate him because he mostly played quarterback in college.<\/p>\nBut in studying McKinnon while with the Vikings, he saw a runner who has speed and elusiveness while also exhibiting the strength to break arm tackles. He set the record at the NFL Scouting Combine for running backs with 32 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press in 2014. But McKinnon's best asset might be his ability to be a factor in the passing game in blitz pickup, while also being a dependable receiver out of the backfield or in the slot.<\/p>\n\u201cWhen it comes to separating and beating linebackers and safeties in man-to-man coverage, I definitely think he\u2019s an issue for teams,\u201d Shanahan said. \u201cI think this league, when it comes to third downs and things like that, you move the chains based off of matchups, which allows you to get points in the long run. I think Jerick is very versatile and we can do a lot of things with him.<\/p>\n\u201cHe\u2019s good enough to make it as a runner alone in this league. He\u2019s good enough to make it in the pass game as just a third down threat alone, but when you can do both of those, it gives you a lot of freedom as a coach.\u201d<\/p>\n"
author => "Matt Maiocco"
mps => {"author":"Matt Maiocco","league":"","sport":"","sponsor":""}
published => "1521226320"
created => "1521227024"
changed => "1521231412"
status => "1"
hero_image_credit => "AP"
tags => [{"tid":"12256","name":"Jerick McKinnon","url":"tags\/jerick-mckinnon"},{"tid":"5776","name":"Kyle Shanahan","url":"tags\/kyle-shanahan"},{"tid":"1021","name":"San Francisco 49ers","url":"tags\/san-francisco-49ers"}]
section => "49ers"
team => "49ers"
chrome_data => "{\"league\":\"\",\"sport\":\"\",\"sponsor\":\"\"}"
image => {"uri":"public:\/\/archive\/assets_article\/bayarea\/2018\/03\/16\/mckinnon-shanahan-presser.jpg","alt":"mckinnon-shanahan-presser.jpg","title":"Shanahan sees versatile McKinnon as piece that was missing from 49ers' offense"}
sponsor => ""
region => "bayarea"
fb_url => "https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/share?app_id=304476467003440&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsports.com%2Fbayarea%2F49ers%2Fshanahan-sees-versatile-mckinnon-piece-was-missing-49ers-offense&display=popup"
tw_url => "https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Shanahan%20sees%20versatile%20McKinnon%20as%20piece%20that%20was%20missing%20from%2049ers%27%20offense&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsports.com%2Fbayarea%2F49ers%2Fshanahan-sees-versatile-mckinnon-piece-was-missing-49ers-offense&original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsports.com%2Fbayarea%2F49ers%2Fshanahan-sees-versatile-mckinnon-piece-was-missing-49ers-offense"
mailto => "mailto:?subject=Shanahan%20sees%20versatile%20McKinnon%20as%20piece%20that%20was%20missing%20from%2049ers%27%20offense&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsports.com%2Fbayarea%2F49ers%2Fshanahan-sees-versatile-mckinnon-piece-was-missing-49ers-offense"
tags_hide => []
type => "article"
meta => {"file":"\/mnt\/gfs\/rsnunited\/sites\/default\/files\/archive\/article\/bayarea\/49ers\/shanahan-sees-versatile-mckinnon-piece-was-missing-49ers-offense.json","assets":["public:\/\/archive\/assets_article\/bayarea\/2018\/03\/16\/mckinnon-shanahan-presser.jpg"]}
orig_image => {"uri":"public:\/\/2018\/03\/16\/mckinnon-shanahan-presser.jpg","alt":"mckinnon-shanahan-presser.jpg","title":"Shanahan sees versatile McKinnon as piece that was missing from 49ers' offense"}
article_type => "article"

49ers

The player Kyle Shanahan studied on video was a lot better than the player he saw on the stat sheet.

The 49ers coach said he places a lot more emphasis on how he projects a player in his offense than what the player did with his former team.

And that is why the 49ers placed a large priority on signing former Minnesota Vikings running back Jerick McKinnonon the first day of the free-agent signing period. McKinnon comes to the 49ers on a four-year, $30 million contract with $11.7 million guaranteed.

McKinnon's stats might not suggest he is anywhere near a top running back in the NFL, but Shanahan sees it differently. And that is why the 49ers opted to pursue McKinnon instead of Carlos Hyde.

“I don’t know the numbers until I like the guy,” Shanahan said. “I always watch the guy first, and turn on the tape and get lost in it for a while. There were so many things I liked about him, visualizing how we would use him and stuff he would do. And even though there wasn’t a ton of it, you still got to see him do some stuff that we do a lot. Where he did it, he excelled a ton and was very good at it.

“Eventually, I look at the numbers and it did surprise me. Then you go back and you try to see why. I’m not going to get into all the whys, but I know all the stuff we liked about him, we cut up those numbers. I think they would’ve been good numbers.”

In four NFL seasons as a part-time player, McKinnon (5-9, 205), averaged 4.0 yards per rushing attempt. The past two years, he gained 539 and 570 yards with rushing averages of just 3.4 and 3.8 yards.

Hyde (6-foot, 230) is a bigger back with more production in his career. He rushed for 988 and 938 yards in 2016 and ’17 with averages of 4.6 and 3.9 yards.

Shanahan said he looked at every player who was available, and McKinnon was the player he evaluated to be the best of all the free agents. Shanahan has long valued running backs who are versatile in the run and pass games with an ability to make defenders miss.

“A good run is when you get more yards than what it was blocked for,” Shanahan said. “Sometimes, runs are blocked for negative 1 (yard) and the best run in the game was a 1-yard carry.

“Sometimes the one that most people could do is a 60-yarder because it was a busted coverage or a busted front and nobody was there. Numbers do tell stuff, but it’s never an absolute."

The 49ers signed McKinnon to be the starting running back with Matt Breida likely mixing into the action. The 49ers could also be in the market to add to the competition and depth through the draft.

Shanahan is likely to deploy multiple players, just as he did successfully with Atlanta Falcons running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. McKinnon is expected to take Freeman’s role. In each of Shanahan’s two seasons as Falcons offensive coordinator, Freeman accounted for more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage. He rushed for 1,056 and 1,079 yards while catching 578 and 462 yards in passes.

“I’m just excited to be in the offense that I feel is a perfect fit for me,” McKinnon said on Thursday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

“Things that coach Shanahan has done with the backs like he did in Atlanta with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, I see myself doing those kinds of things. For me, I feel like the scheme is right. The fit was just perfect for me. I feel like I can’t be in a better situation as a player.”

Shanahan said he liked McKinnon as a draft prospect in 2014 out of Georgia Southern but it was more difficult to evaluate him because he mostly played quarterback in college.

But in studying McKinnon while with the Vikings, he saw a runner who has speed and elusiveness while also exhibiting the strength to break arm tackles. He set the record at the NFL Scouting Combine for running backs with 32 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press in 2014. But McKinnon's best asset might be his ability to be a factor in the passing game in blitz pickup, while also being a dependable receiver out of the backfield or in the slot.

“When it comes to separating and beating linebackers and safeties in man-to-man coverage, I definitely think he’s an issue for teams,” Shanahan said. “I think this league, when it comes to third downs and things like that, you move the chains based off of matchups, which allows you to get points in the long run. I think Jerick is very versatile and we can do a lot of things with him.

“He’s good enough to make it as a runner alone in this league. He’s good enough to make it in the pass game as just a third down threat alone, but when you can do both of those, it gives you a lot of freedom as a coach.”