49ers may cut new draft pick before playing a snap in favor of undrafted free agent | Sporting News

Given Christian McCaffrey's injury history, the 49ers have to get their running back depth right.

San Francisco traded away Jordan Mason this offseason, so Isaac Guerendo is the top backup.

The 49ers then drafted Jordan James in the fifth round.

But surprisingly, Pro Football Network thinks James could be cut in favor of an undrafted rookie.

San Francisco brought in Corey Kiner out of the University of Cincinnati.

"Corey Kiner may not be the flashiest back in this draft class, but hes one of the most reliable and hardest to bring down," PFN wrote .

"A compact, physical runner with excellent contact balance, Kiner consistently churns out yardage between the tackles and rarely goes down on first contact.

Hes a patient, downhill runner who thrives in traffic and keeps his legs churning to extend plays.

"Despite lacking elite burst or long speed, Kiner produced back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at Cincinnati and ranked among the nations best in missed tackles forced.

His lack of breakaway speed limits his upside as a big-play threat, but he's built for the physicality of the pro game.

He has a chance to outperform 5th-rounder Jordan James." MORE: Browns have weird plans for Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel QB competition James was a college star at Oregon.

In reality, the 49ers will probably keep James around regardless of what they decide to do with Kiner.

But there could be room for both rookie backs to try and set up the future of this RB room behind Brock Purdy's QB leadership and new big contract.

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