The most polarizing pick for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2026 NFL Draft was third-round running back Kaelon Black, marking the fifth time in six years that the team took a back in the draft.
Black was controversial for a variety of reasons. Not only did most evaluators have him as a late Day 3 pick, but he was also only the third running back selected in the draft behind first-rounders Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Black also didn’t have much volume as a pass-catcher during his time at Indiana,
raising questions about the fit with the 49ers.
But head coach Kyle Shanahan was quite confident in the selection, even revealing that Black was the No. 2 running back on their board heading into the draft, which led to the process of taking him at No. 90.
Now, with organized team activities (OTAs) starting, how does Shanahan feel about Black’s comfort level in the offense, especially as a pass-catcher?
“I see a guy that I think could be developed in the pass game,” Shanahan said of Black. “I mean, we definitely were excited about him, and the first thing we loved about him was him as a runner. But we’ve gotten a lot of guys here who didn’t start out great in the pass game, [but] have the skillset to do it. They just haven’t worked at it that much. And I know JP (Jordan Mason) was like that. I know Elijah [Mitchell] was like that. I thought those guys got a lot better. And I see Kaelen being the same way. He’s got the skills to do it, just needs to work at it.”
Last year, the 49ers drafted Jordan James in the fifth round after taking Isaac Guerendo in the fourth round the year before that. This offseason, it seems like Guerendo could be on the hot seat following the addition of Black, but there still isn’t a proven pass-catcher on the team to back up Christian McCaffrey.
Earlier in the offseason, Shanahan had mentioned the hope of getting McCaffrey some help. But the biggest challenge in the past years has been the lack of a pass-catching back, which makes it hard to take the star off the field. And currently, there isn’t a clear-cut option that can absolve McCaffrey as a pass-catcher.
So, we’ll see how the 49ers running back competition goes this offseason, with Black’s development as a receiver being a focal point. Shanahan believes he has the skill set to become an asset there. It’s just a matter of how quickly that will happen and how impactful Black can be after being a third-round pick this offseason.
