The 49ers can never have enough running backs, apparently.
After drafting Trey Sermon and Elijah Mitchell last season, the 49ers gambled in third round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Friday, selecting LSU running back Ty Davis-Price at No. 93.
The selection of Davis-Price is a gamble on what he can be if everything works out, not based on consistency in college.
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Davis-Price, 6 feet, 211 pounds, is a good blend of size, explosiveness and athleticism. Last season for the Tigers, Davis-Price rushed for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns on 211 carries (4.8 yards per tote).
But Davis-Price didn't deliver the consistency you want from a back on a game-to-game or carry-to-carry basis. In the lead-up to the draft, scouts pointed to motivation as a big question for Davis-Price, along with his inconsistency.
The selection of Davis-Price would appear to say a lot about Sermon, who the 49ers drafted last year in the third round. Given the injury issues the 49ers' running back room faced last year, it's clear coach Kyle Shanahan wants another big, physical back in case the depth is thinned again.
However, using another third-round pick on a running back when you have needs at safety, offensive line and wide receiver is not a good use of a top-100 pick. The 49ers' most successful running backs of late have come either in the later rounds or as undrafted free agents.
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Positional value has to be taken into consideration, especially in the first three rounds of the draft. For the second straight year, the 49ers burned an early pick on a back who wasn't a slam dunk.
Davis-Price was projected to be a Day 3 pick coming into the draft and likely could have been had Saturday.
Using a third-round pick on a high-upside back with question marks is a puzzling decision by the 49ers.
Grade: D-plus