Will Patrick Taylor Jr. Make the 49ers' 53-Man Roster?

You should probably get to know Patrick Taylor Jr.

The 49ers signed him recently to add depth to their running back room. Taylor Jr. will be 26 at the end of April, and he spent the first three seasons of his career on the Packers. Last season, he played 226 snaps, which is more than any 49ers backup running back played last season. He also caught 11 passes.

Taylor Jr. is different than the 49ers' other backup running backs -- Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason. Those two don't contribute much to the passing game. The 49ers acquired them when they thought Trey Lance was going to be their starting quarterback and they would be running the zone read for the foreseeable future.

Now Lance is gone and Brock Purdy is the starting quarterback, and the 49ers don't run the zone read. Instead, Purdy throws passes to his starting running back, Christian McCaffrey, the best check down option in the NFL. When McCaffrey leaves the game, neither Mitchell nor Mason can run the routes or catch the passes that McCaffrey does, so the offense has to change.

Enter Patrick Taylor Jr. He's no Christian McCaffrey, but he can run routes and catch passes, which means Kyle Shanahan won't have to change the offense when he's in the game and McCaffrey is taking a breather.

Don't be surprised if Taylor Jr. makes the 53-man roster and the 49ers draft a pass-catching running back in a few weeks as well. Their offense is evolving with Purdy. Mitchell and Mason could get phased out.