Why the 49ers Drafted Tyrion Davis-Price
Taking Tyrion-Davis Price in the third-round was surprising by the 49ers.
It was surprising due to the fact that they had just used a third-round pick on Trey Sermon in the 2021 NFL draft. Not to mention that the 49ers have proven to manage efficiently with day three or undrafted free agent running backs. They could've looked elsewhere in the third-round.
A bit of a head scratcher initially, but drafting Davis-Price makes sense.
Remember, the 49ers were trotting out a duct taped running back room for a stretch last season. It got to a point where Trenton Cannon was the backup running back. The 49ers were just signing so many running backs and taking them off of another team's practice squad. They really became desperate there. Drafting Davis-Price is the hope that they can avoid it, especially since he is a bruiser style player who can take shots.
“Well, one, I don't think you can have enough running backs." said Kyle Shanahan. "I mean, we took two last year (2021 NFL Draft); we were happy with our starter going into last year. We had other guys who had played well too and we took two, and by the fourth game we're still having to steal guys off other team's practice squads just to field enough guys to play in a game."
The 49ers are scarred from that stretch of being pressed at running back. And I wouldn't rule out that 2020, where their whole season was derailed by injuries, factored in as well. Davis-Price is a different type of running back that the 49ers usually draft or sign, so they're definitely trying to tinker with the hope of repeating last season's running back scare.
"The more guys you can add the better, but kind of the physicality that he brings gives you a chance to have a very physical one-two punch. I thought Deebo helped us do that towards the end of last year bringing that in, but you don't want that to be just your one-two punch. You got to bring in some other backs to do that. I do think we have some guys on roster that have a chance."
Speaking of Deebo Samuel, that is the second point why the 49ers drafted Davis-Price. It is to send a message to Samuel. A large part as to why Samuel is supposedly wanting out of San Francisco is because of usage. He does not want to be utilized the same as last season. By bringing in Davis-Price, it signal that the 49ers have a core-four of running backs. Elijah Mitchell, Trey Sermon, Jeff Wilson Jr., and Davis-Price.
The 49ers are set at running back. And with that, conveying a message to Samuel that they do not intend to run him into the ground. When you consider both points, it makes a ton of sense why they drafted Davis-Price.
