The 49ers’ backfield is far less settled than it was in February of last year. They had a group that had roster spots tied up with no real need for additional assets at the position. This year could be different though with only Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. sitting firmly with roster spots. San Francisco could be eyeing a running back in this year’s draft though, and met virtually with Oregon State running back Jermar Jefferson according to Draft Wire’s Justin Melo.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan used a fourth-round pick on Utah running back Joe Williams in 2017. Williams never played a down for the 49ers though and they haven’t used a draft pick on the position since.
Jefferson had a monster freshman year at Oregon State when he rushed for 1,380 yards and 12 touchdowns, and caught 25 passes for 147 yards in 12 games. His next two seasons individually weren’t great, but they combined for a productive 15 games. In that stretch he rushed 275 times for 1,541 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also caught 18 balls for 152 yards and two scores.
His running style is a little bit like Wilson’s. He’s decisive and runs hard while lacking a ton of wiggle. Still, he uses his big 5-10, 217-pound frame to punish tacklers and has good enough vision to turn the corner when he gets outside.
While Jefferson doesn’t have any elite traits, he fits the mold of a player San Francisco might bring in as a late pick or in undrafted free agency to try and fight for a roster spot.
