Kyle Shanahan’s bold defence of Kaelon Black exposes one thing: He’s protecting Christian McCaffrey

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

49ers were ahead of the curve on Kaelon Black

Kyle Shanahan has strongly defended the 49ers’ third-round pick of Kaelon Black, a player San Francisco believes is more than just a depth option.

Shanahan said Black was their second-highest rated back in the draft, and that his selection was as much about managing workloads as it was about getting value.

Public boards had Black ranked a good deal lower, but Shanahan made it clear: “That’s just our evaluation.” The Niners didn’t want to hang around and risk losing him while the rest of the league caught up.

That thinking holds up only if Black is viewed as more than an emergency backup. Otherwise, using a third-rounder on him wouldn’t add up for a roster that already leans so heavily on McCaffrey.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Black adds needed depth behind McCaffrey

Black ran for 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025 and helped Indiana win a national title. More importantly for the 49ers, he gives Shanahan another back he trusts to carry real early-down work if McCaffrey needs relief or misses time.

That’s become an unspoken pressure within the building. Shanahan has talked about easing McCaffrey’s burden for years, but the offence continues to drift back to one-back dependence when games matter most.

Kaelon Black has spoken about wanting to prove his coach right and push himself even more because of the criticism. That attitude matches the 49ers’ thinking.

They believe their evaluation was ahead of the curve and that, in time, people will see why they made this pick when Black gets a chance to play meaningful snaps.

Shanahan’s defence of the pick isn’t really about who got it right on draft day. It’s more about giving the offence another reliable option, so they’re not leaning too heavily on one player again.