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The running back position was not deemed as a major area of need for the San Francisco 49ers heading into the 2022 NFL Draft. They boast four running backs who both featured for the team in the 2021 campaign and are slated to return for the upcoming 2022 season. More so, they still do have wide receiver Deebo Samuel on the roster, who notched a career-high 59 rush attempts last year.
Nonetheless, 49ers general manager John Lynch opted to use the No. 93 overall pick in the draft to select former LSU running back Tyrion Davis-Price. The versatile back led the way for the Tigers in the 2021 season, recording team highs in both yards from scrimmage (1,067) and rushing touchdowns (six).
The 49ers now have a total of five running backs on the roster. One could presume that plenty of change could be on the horizon in the coming months at this position, but as Lynch spoke about during a press conference on Friday, this may not be the case after all.
“Yeah, I think this always comes down to obviously you take into account where the league values someone, but you’re only guessing when you do that,” Lynch said. “At the time we just thought he [Tyrion Davis-Price] was a tremendous fit for exactly what we’re looking for.
“I think a great complement to Elijah, and I think we envision a great role for Trey Sermon going forward, for Jeff Wilson. There’s plenty of room for these guys. Most seasons we’ve used four, we’ve used five, so I think it’s something — we emphasize the run game here and we want versatile backs. I think we have that with our collection of guys, and we’re excited about that group.”
As Lynch touched on, the 49ers have used multiple running backs over the past few seasons. For one, four different players on the team logged at least 40 rush attempts last year, including 2021 third-round pick Trey Sermon (41).
As the 49ers have been hit quite hard with injuries at running back over the past couple of years, they are now set to have multiple notable options to be their feature talent at the position in the 2022 campaign.
![Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Arik Armstead (91) runs off the field before an NFL football matchup Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars held off the Titans 20-13. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Arik-Armstead-with-Jaguars.jpg)
