The pre-draft process failed 49ers RB Matt Breida

The pre-draft process failed San Francisco 49ers rookie running back and undrafted free agent Matt Breida, who has seized a major role…

Let me tell you about how the pre-draft process failed Georgia Southern running back Matt Breida.

Breida was signed as an undrafted free agent this Spring by the San Francisco 49ers, and although the running back position is not valued as highly as it once was, it’s still going to surprise you that Breida was undrafted when you read about what he did before the 2017 NFL Draft.

On March 30th, Breida put out one of the best pro day performances of any back in the 2017 NFL Draft class.

He started off by running a 4.39 second 40-yard dash, speed that was undeniably translated to the field. He checked in at 5-foot-9, 195 pounds, and threw up 23 bench press reps of 225 pounds.

Breida’s vertical jump of 42 inches was other-worldly, and his broad jump of 11’2″ would have ranked him among the best at the 2017 scouting combine.

With measurables like that, most NFL scouts would have to at least consider going back to the drawing board and looking at the tape. Breida had a down year statistically in 2016, after two years with a combined yards per carry average over eight yards, and 34 rushing touchdowns.

Those numbers took a huge dip with Breida’s yards per carry average dipping to 3.8 as a senior, with just three rushing touchdowns.

Still, with what he showed from 2014-15, it would have been a no-brainer for some NFL team to take a chance on his athletic makeup in the draft.

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Instead, the 49ers signed him as an undrafted free agent, and all he’s done since then is seize the backup running back job behind Carlos Hyde. The 49ers have a plan in place to get Breida carries in the regular season already, which will come as no surprise to anyone who has been reading our site for a few years.

We’ve been talking up Breida since his sophomore campaign.

It’s going to be exciting to see what offensive guru Kyle Shanahan will put into place for Breida within this 49ers offense. They may not have the most talented roster in the league, but the presence of a sleeper like Breida gives them some added gameday intrigue.

The pre-draft process may have failed Breida, even though he did everything he could. Thankfully, he was able to show what he’s got out on the field, and not only make the 49ers roster, but potentially have a major impact in 2017.

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