SANTA CLARA — The football world was surprised when the 49ers selected a running back in the 2026 NFL Draft’s third round, but coach Kyle Shanahan explained the thought process behind the choice.
“We’ve gone through a number of years here where we’ve been through at least four backs,” Shanahan said after the draft’s conclusion. “Last year was one of the abnormal years where, and it was awesome, but our starting back was able to stay healthy. Usually, it happens a lot, where it’s not just the one, it’s the two.
With the No. 90 overall pick, the 49ers selected Indiana’s Kaelon Black, adding versatility to a deep room of ball carriers. The rookie will join Christian McCaffrey, Isaac Guerendo, Jordan James and Patrick Taylor Jr.
“We’ve gone through four [running backs] a number of times,” Shanahan said. “So, what [Black] could do as a true starting running back is what I liked. If you ever had to give him more carries, could he hit the right hole? Can he move the chains when you only block it for three, can he get five?”
In the 2025 NFL season, McCaffrey stayed healthy for the entire season, suiting up for all 17 games and racking up 311 carries for 1,202 yards. Brian Robinson Jr. (now with the Atlanta Falcons) took over in a limited fashion, recording only 92 carries for 400 yards, and the remaining running backs were left waiting in the wings.
Still, the Shanahan and his personnel staff couldn’t let Day 2 of the draft go by without bringing Black to the Bay Area, believing that his traits will add a boost to the 49ers’ ground game.
“It always starts, with me, with just who’s the most natural running back,” Shanahan said. “I love third-down backs, all the pass game stuff that people can bring, but when it just comes to running the ball, you need to have more than one starter.
“The physicality [Black] ran with, how he broke tackles when he did get into open space, how he didn’t sit there and stutter his feet, he just broke to open spots and got yards. And then what he did at his pro day. When you see a tough, hard-nosed runner who ends up running the 40 that he did, to know what else is in his body for more explosiveness and stuff like that.”
Part of the reason McCaffrey led the NFL with 413 touches from scrimmage is because the majority of the 49ers’ plays were drawn up for the All-Pro, who also is a talented route runner and pass catcher.
Black can provide the same type of skillset on the field, able to run routes with steady hands. This could allow the offense to still keep the ball moving down the field, even with McCaffrey occasionally on the sidelines.
“You know, they didn’t throw [Black] the ball a lot,” Shanahan said of the rookie’s two seasons at Indiana. “But when you watch his Senior Bowl, you watch his older tape from his other school, you see that he has that skillset that you can really develop and you got a guy you can win with.”
It remains to be seen if the 49ers will be able to give McCaffrey a breather on the sidelines more often than they did in 2025, but now with Black in the mix, there might be more opportunities to do just that.