49ers Running Back Depth Chart

foreign [Music] it's 49ers cut back podcast time welcome to the show time to talk about these 49ers running backs and the running back depth chart which is pretty top-heavy but has a lot of talent throughout the entire roster and I'm really excited to talk about some of these players and how they could impact the San Francisco 49ers but also just get an idea of how these players sit heading into training camp of course depth charts change as the players go through their reps learn this offense go ahead and handle protections and all that sort of thing but where you start is not always the prerequisite to where you're going to finish so the 49ers definitely have a lot of talent and we've seen players jump over others last year Jordan Mason came into training campus one of the last guys on the depth chart and before you knew it he had jumped up and made the San Francisco 49ers 53-man roster so it's not about where you start it's about where you finish and the 49ers have a lot of talent part of the reason why is because last year they orchestrated one of the best trades potentially in franchise history by going out and trading for Christian McCaffrey and that's where we start on the depth chart Christian McCaffrey the number one running back for the 49ers not very surprising to anyone he's one of the top running backs if not the top running back in the NFL now you pair Christian McCaffrey with Kyle Shanahan and you have the perfect weapon for what he likes to do and now he's got a piece that he can use in a variety of ways whether that's running the football he can run the outside Zone he can run the inside Zone he can run the cap scheme he can go Motion out and get in the slot and go one-on-one and win there he has a nice feel for Zone he can go vertical down the field he can convert on Third and short there's so much you can do with Christian McCaffrey that it really gives the 49ers and Kyle Shanahan a piece on the chessboard that's like a queen it can do it all and I think Kyle Shanahan used Christian McCaffrey in so many different ways and it elevated the 49ers running back room and overall a running back position to another level especially with the 49ers having some injuries at the position throughout the season they were able to get a piece in that revolutionized how Kyle Shanahan used the running back and I think we finally saw the full potential of a running back in Kyle Shanahan system we've seen the successes of other backs in the system or he mostert on the outside Zone we've even seen him catch some passes but it wasn't to the level of McCaffrey he wasn't that threat and I think Kyle Shanahan has been looking for that guy and this is the perfect piece so Christian McCaffrey number one on the 49ers depth chart no surprise to anyone number two Elijah Mitchell and this one might surprise a couple of people people are starting to want to move Jordan Mason into that number two spot I don't think it's time for that yet even though the injury concerns with Elijah Mitchell are definitely something to keep notice of Elijah Mitchell still the second most talented running back on the San Francisco 49ers team the mixture of speed physicality and vision is really at another level the dude is fantastic he could start for many teams in the NFL it all is predicated on health the thing with Elijah Mitchell is he runs with Reckless abandon but he also runs through little holes and has a lot of really good vision and technique for how he gets vertical in Kyle Shanahan's running game one thing he figured out very early on in his career was as soon as you were able to get vertical get your foot in the ground and get up field you throw in the fact that he also runs with physicality but has enough speed to get past that second level and you get some explosive plays from Elijah Mitchell when we saw him in the lineup with Christian McCaffrey we really saw a nice combination in a Duo that could give opposing defenses fits Elijah Mitchell's no slouch catching the football either it was just last year Kyle Shannon started getting Mitchell the ball out of the out of the flat he was making big time plays and we've seen that in the playoff run in 2021 as well Mitchell is the closest to Christian McCaffrey as far as versatility the one that could catch the ball the backfield consistently he can run really good screen passes he's very good running on the interior he's another guy outside Zone inside Zone Gap scheme no problem for Elijah Mitchell he can handle it all and his speed gives him an added element over some of the guys we're going to talk about coming up after him so the 49ers one-two punch of McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell could be the best one-two punch in the entire NFL as long as both stay healthy and when it comes to the running back position that's always a concern but the 49ers have two good ones a nice insulation in case something happens to one of them because they have some more guys behind them as well and it was just a couple years ago the 49ers were desperate they were bringing guys off the scrap he putting people on the practice squad elevating them so they had running backs they just didn't have the players to be able to execute Kyle shandan's system during the season because of injury and now here we are and we're looking at a plethora of players and really just a ton of great talent uh it's it's a fun thing to watch how they turned a weakness into an absolute strength for their football team and they've had to see a lot of players go where he most are Jeff Wilson Jr Matt breida uh Trey sermon they've rotated through these guys but now they have a very very good running back room number three Jordan Mason and Mason came on the scene in a big way and I thought I'd seen a lot of improvement from the first time I saw him at training camp until we saw him at the end of the season the vision was definitely there he has good Vision he has good feel he can navigate through the interior part of an offensive line a defensive line he's good at that he runs with physicality and the physicality part was never really the concern for me you could see him be able to run people over it was hey how's he going to do when he finds the hole is he going to be able to get vertical and accelerate through and he he did that he he did with shining colors to me Jordan Mason is definitely somebody that's going to make an impact on the 49ers at 2023 he has the potential to fill in if something happens to one of the top two guys he can step up he can make plays his game is different than the other two he can run the outside Zone he has to make sure that he's in the right lines he's got to get to the outside very quickly and he's also got a push for to get vertical as soon as he can I think he has good feel and I think he's going to be able to handle it pretty well but when these defensive players really fly out there to stop 49ers outside Zone there's going to be a wash and when that wash comes across he can find that open Lane and get up the field but we saw explosives from Jordan Mason and I think an element we haven't seen a lot from Jordan Mason but he's completely capable of handling is catching the football of the backfield now you're not going to line up Jordan Mason consistently in the slot like you might with Christian McCaffrey uh and even Elijah Mitchell's a little bit farther along as far as route running and that sort of thing but if you want to get Mason the ball in a screen pass or you want to throw him a Texas route or you know it's one of those things he's going to be able to handle it what will his Yak yards look like I don't know but he's gonna probably run someone over and get some extra yards so I like Jordan Mason a lot I think the 49ers have a one two three that's very very good and I think this is very good for the 49ers longevity during the season as far as Run game because they have three capable running backs that can handle what Kyle Shanahan wants of course if you lose McCaffrey you take a little bit of a step back from what Elijah Mitchell can do if you lose Mitchell you take a little bit of Step Back From Where Jordan Mason can do so there is definitely a level to this thing but all three of them are very capable running backs who can handle what Kyle shanan wants them to do maybe a little pieces of the The Playbook go away depending on which player you're on but I think the 49ers are very excited about these top three guys and what they can provide the San Francisco 49ers offense in 2023. number four is last year's third round pick Ty Davis price and price I just put out a video maybe like three weeks ago Ty Davis price is not a bust and I really believe that I think just because we haven't seen Ty Davis price be on the field and do the things that we expect him to do doesn't mean he's a bus for a couple of reasons number one when he came on the roster there was no Christian McCaffrey so the depth chart has definitely changed McCaffrey Jordan Mason added to a room that was already you know talented but extremely talented when you add them so yes you have a third round pick you'd like to see him produce and I think he's going to eventually produce for the 40 39ers because it's inevitable that you're going to have some sort of an injury unfortunately the 49ers normally Carry Three running backs on their active game day roster So Thai Davis price right now sitting at four how much will he be active for games I think some of that depends on how well he plays on special teams but I do like his ability running the football he can definitely run everything that Kyle needs him to run there's no real gaps in his game or he can't run outside Zone inside zone or Gap scheme I think when it comes to tidy of his price it's gonna be how is his feel how is his vision because his vision was hit and miss in 2022 it's not that he's not a good player and he doesn't have Vision because he does it just wasn't seen on full display a lot of that could be him learning this system learning the system can take running backs a little while as they're learning exactly how Kyle Shanahan and this run game with Chris first are operate Christian McCaffrey even talked about there being an adjustment for him last year coming from Carolina and just fitting into this run scheme and how they operate things are very technical offensive linemen get to a certain point offensive linemen take a certain Lane you have to read blocks you get vertical here there's so much that works into it that you just have to continue to get reps to get better and I think Ty Davis price is going to get better I think we're going to hear a lot of really good things about price coming out of training camp and I think the 49ers are going to have four very competent running backs and that's good news you can you know potentially have an injury or or two be able to be sustainable it doesn't mean you're going to play at a level you know of you know if you lost Christian McCaffrey you're not making up for Christian McCaffrey but you can have a suitable backup that can at least keep you underneath that a little bit and allow you to purse seed with a good offense that is predicated on a run game and then a pass game off of that so 49ers had to invest in the running back position they have done so and they have also hit on some late round and undrafted free agents that have definitely helped this roster and I think the 49ers having those top four guys is important realistically the four yards are going to keep four halfbacks on this football team those top four guys are definitely in the best position to be on the 49ers in 2023. now they have two undrafted free agents that they brought in Kalyn laburn and uh Ronald awott and both of these guys I've done videos on them breakdowns on them go check those out they have some unique skills they're different from each other with a Y you got a guy who runs with great balance who's a little bit more physical at the point of attack and doesn't have as much speed as labor labor and though breaks a ton of tackles but I feel has a little bit more wiggle I think labrum is laburn is more of a boomer bus type Prospect he has the potential to catch the ball to backfield run the outside Zone do all you need to do in Kyle's offense at be it impact player especially with the brake tackle rate at which it was at Marshall the questions with him are Vision how much Vision has he procured during his time from Marshall till now I seen a little bit in film where we had some things that he needed to work on and how quickly will he transition to this 49ers offense like they talked about with Ty Davis price adjusting to the 49ers way of run of the Run game I wonder how quick uh laburn is going to adjust if he adjusts at a high clip he could come in there and he could push for a potential roster spot or at least a practice squad spot for the four yards and be hey one position away from being able to get on the field with awat it's the Visions there it's about consistency how can you consistently get vertical and then accelerate through those holes I think he's more akin to what you were thinking with Jordan Mason last year but he doesn't bring the the punch as far as physicality or the natural uh acceleration that Mason has Mason has more acceleration than You're Expecting from a 220 pound guy so I think the 49ers are are displaying a type of running back that they're going for uh think of Labor and more in the Elijah Mitchell category I think of Ronald a watt Moore in the Jordan Mason category and they bring in two guys that can not only compete uh but potentially make this roster if they have some sort of injury but the 49ers definitely have a two types of running backs that are looking to get and they're going to see what they can get out of these young guys I don't put these guys as like five and six on the depth chart I think they come in pretty equal I think if you're looking at them at first I would split their reps uh you know and just see who's got it and who has that feel as you're going through practices so I would go one Christian McCaffrey to Elijah Mitchell three Jordan Mason four tie Davis price and then five a and 5B Ronald Awad and Kailyn the born and I think you let their play illustrate who's higher on the depth chart and this is going to be a battle that's going to happen because not only are they in battle with Ty Davis pry price to make this roster which I did a training camp battles video go check that out but also with each other one of them could potentially be on the practice squad and the other could be looking for a roster Spot somewhere else so they're gonna have a lot of opportunities to make an impact especially you know with the starters not playing much in the preseason I'm guessing Elijah Mitchell not playing very much in the preseason as well to be able to display their talents and they have to take full advantage of it I think we have a little contrasted style that's going to be fun to watch but uh when it comes to this running back room the 49ers have built it at a very high level and it's an exciting room now one spot we can't forget is the 49ers also have a couple of full backs in Camp of course Kyle use check is going to be number one he's an All-Pro he's in he's a pro bowler he's fantastic he can do everything you need within this 49ers offense but then they brought in the Jack of all trades Jack coletto and they're going to be playing him at full back of course at Oregon State he played quarterback he played uh linebacker there's been conversations about him playing tight end but the 49ers have slated him at fullback right now and I think he is the number two guy in the depth chart I don't see him overseeing or overtaking juice I think coletto is a definite practice squad uh possibility the problem is uh quarter or I mean coaches out there really wanted Colletto and a coach like Sean Payton might be willing to take coletto and bring him in uh to you know fill a role in his offense that he really wants that he had with taysom Hill with the New Orleans Saints so coletto could be a danger if the four years don't keep him on the active 53 but I don't know how they would actually do that with the amount of talent they have on their roster I don't think you can actually keep a backup fullback so that's going to be one of those interesting things to watch develop during the during the training camp in prison as well how good Coletta looks that ultimately decide whether he ends up on the 49ers practice squad or getting claimed by somebody else and ending up on another team's practice or another team's active roster like the Denver Broncos so just to recap Elijah uh Christian McCaffrey's won no surprise Elijah Mitchell's two Jordan Mason three Ty Davis price for Ronald awat and Kailyn laburn number five A and B and if you want to see my feelings on the Elijah Mitchell Jordan Mason uh training camp battle look up that video that just came out really good episode hope you guys all enjoy that and I hope you enjoyed this just going over the 49ers depth chart getting an idea of where everyone stands going into 49ers training camp it's going to be a lot of fun I'm looking forward to getting out there and watching these guys play so thank you guys so much for watching like the video subscribe to the channel if you haven't already on the push for 4K hit the notification Bell so you get notified anytime I go live or make a video plus with training camp coming up training camp content coming your way hope you guys all are having a good one I'll catch you guys on the next one until then stay safe and remember the right way is always the 49ers way oh