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The San Francisco 49ers find themselves with a crowded backfield after Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft. The 49ers traded up with the Los Angeles Rams to select former Ohio State Buckeyes and Oklahoma Sooners back Trey Sermon in the third round with the No. 88 overall pick in the draft.
In his lone season with Ohio State in 2020, Sermon played in eight games and averaged 7.5 yards per carry for 870 yards with four rushing touchdowns. He played his best in the postseason, though he left the national title game early with an injury.
Considering San Francisco was willing to trade up with a divisional opponent, it must mean the 49ers are extremely high on what Sermon can bring to their offense, but what does it mean from a fantasy football perspective?
The 49ers backfield now consists of Sermon, Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson and Wayne Gallman. Mostert is No. 1 on the team’s running back depth chart, but Sermon could certainly push him for that top spot. Mostert played in just eight games in 2020, which led to Wilson leading the team in rushing. Gallman filled in nicely for Saquon Barkley with the New York Giants last season, and he was recently signed to the 49ers.
Kyle Shanahan likes to use multiple running backs, and the top two options will likely be Sermon and Mostert. They are the only two options in the 49ers backfield worthy of consideration barring an injury.