Leonard Fournette’s stock appears to be steadily climbing leading up to the NFL Draft, and one reason for that could be that the team with the No. 2 overall pick is looking to replace its tailback.
Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com is reporting that the San Francisco 49ers are “ready to give up on” former Ohio State star Carlos Hyde, whom they drafted in the second round back in 2014. Hyde has been unable to remain healthy thus far in his NFL career, missing 14 games through his first three seasons.
Hyde missed some time last year with a sprained AC joint in his shoulder, and he later suffered a torn MCL and was shut down for the remainder of the season. He said recently that his recovery is going well but he is not back to full strength.
#49ers RB Carlos Hyde on knee: "I’m back to running. I can cut, just not all the way I like to run, but I’m making improvement" Run test tmw
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) April 10, 2017
Hyde averaged 4.6 yards per carry in 2016 and looked explosive when healthy, but staying healthy has become a major issue for him. If the 49ers don’t feel Fournette is worthy of the second overall pick, all indications have been that the former LSU star will be off the board shortly after that.
H/T Rotoworld
