The San Francisco 49ers sure love their third-round running backs. In a huge surprise, the 49ers took Indiana Hoosiers running back Kaelon Black at No. 90 overall, becoming the third team to take a running back in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The running backs took a while to come off the board this year. After the Arizona Cardinals took Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 and the Seattle Seahawks took Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price at No. 32, no running back came off the board all the way until the 49ers took Black
at No. 90.
This pick was a part of San Francisco’s trade down on Thursday. The 49ers acquired the No. 30 and No. 90 picks from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for the No. 27 and No. 138 picks, giving them a third-round pick after they lost theirs in the Osa Odighizuwa trade.
San Francisco ended up with two third-round picks after trading out of the second round with the Cleveland Browns, taking Texas Tech edge rusher Romello Height at No. 70. Now, they took Black at 90.
With such a surprising move, let’s break down the pick for the 49ers.
Was Black a reach at No. 90?
This was one of the biggest away-from-consensus picks through the first three rounds. Black was considered a Day 3 pick (and a late Day 3 pick by a number of evaluators), and was even thought of as the No. 2 running back on his own team behind Roman Hemby.
It wasn’t surprising that the 49ers went with a running back. I had the position as a top-five need for the 49ers going into the draft, especially considering San Francisco wants to soften the load on Christian McCaffrey this season.
It also wasn’t too surprising that San Francisco went with a running back at No. 90, though I thought the value for the position was far better in the fourth round. But the addition of Black is quite a surprise, given that a run on running backs hadn’t started and that the 49ers had their pick of the litter at the position.
Arkansas’s Mike Washington, a projected Day 2 pick, was available. So was Penn State’s Nicholas Singleton, Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson, Wake Forest’s Demond Claiborne, and the remainder of the running back class.
It’s clear that Black was the 49ers’ guy. But this was definitely a reach, according to consensus, and it continues a troubling trend that San Francisco has had with midround running backs. Under this regime, the 49ers have taken Jordan James in the fifth round, Isaac Guerendo in the fourth round, Tyrion Davis-Price in the third round, Trey Sermon in the third round, and Joe Williams in the fourth round.
While James is yet to be seen, that’s an ugly track record, so there isn’t much confidence in the 49ers’ evaluation and development at the position.
Who else was available at 90?
Offensive line remains a need, and a ton of the players available at No. 70 were still available at No. 90.
Texas A&M’s Trey Zuhn, Iowa’s Gennings Dunker, Northwestern’s Caleb Tiernan, Missouri’s Keegan Trost, Texas A&M’s Dametrious Crownover, and Duke’s Brian Parker were among the offensive linemen available who were seen as consensus late Day 3 or early Day 4 picks. Zuhn, Dunker, and Tiernan went at the end of the third round.
Didn’t want an offensive lineman? There was a group of cornerbacks available on the board, including the surprising slide of Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy. There were also a number of consensus defensive tackles that could’ve been taken.
Even if the 49ers wanted a running back, there were quite a few other options available that would’ve made more sense fit-wise.
Evaluating the Black pick
What was the most surprising part of the Black pick was the fit.
Black isn’t a third-down threat at all, having just four catches on six targets at Indiana in 2025. That doesn’t sound like a great fit with Christian McCaffrey, as the 49ers have another running back who can’t fill the third-down need or add some variability with McCaffrey off the field.
The biggest part that evaluators praised Black for was his pass protection. Perhaps that’s how he breaks his way on the field?
Black is athletic and well-sized at 5’10, 200 pounds, but he’s turning 25 this season, which raises serious questions about a potential second contract.
Black looks like a bowling ball that can absorb contact well and run hard. He could be a solution in the red zone, which seems like his best fit at the moment, but there are a lot of questions around this pick.
The 49ers clearly have a vision for the Indiana running back, but the ceiling doesn’t seem very high with his age, he was selected far below consensus, and the fit feels very questionable with McCaffrey. Here’s to hoping that Black fares far better than the 49ers running backs taken before him.
