San Francisco 49ers: Jalen Hurd a very rare skill talent

The San Francisco 49ers drafted a very rare skill talent in Jalen Hurd who will be a unique weapon in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

Jalen Hurd is the epitome of versatility.

Need a bell cow running back for the physical SEC? He’s your guy.

Need a long-striding outside target at the wide receiver position in the pass-happy Big 12? You got it.

Hurd went from being a thousand-yard back at Tennessee to racking up 946 yards as a primary target in Baylor’s passing game.

He’s truly one of the most unique players to come out of the college ranks in quite some time.

At 6-foot-4, 226 pounds, Hurd has great size for the receiver position who lined up outside as well as in the slot at Baylor. Obviously having played the running back position early on, Hurd has excellent short-area footwork and is awesome in the open field.

The 49ers had some injuries last year, but they still had a desperate need for playmakers on the offensive side of the ball.

After using their first-round pick in this year’s draft on Nick Bosa, the Niners set out to improve and upgrade their offensive weaponry.

They got one of the best players in this year’s draft after the catch in Deebo Samuel, but Jalen Hurd might be the most intriguing chess piece of any offensive weapon in the class.

The 49ers could truly feature this player in their running game by giving him 20-25 carries. They could stick him in the slot and feed him the ball in the passing game.

They could use him outside as a vertical receiver. They could stick him in as an H-back in red zone work.

The options here for Kyle Shanahan are endless. Hurd is somewhat of a backup plan to the Jerick McKinnon signing. McKinnon was a running back by trade who became more of a wide receiver with the Vikings near the end of his time there.

The 49ers now have Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida to shoulder the majority of the load in the running game, but it wouldn’t shock me to see Hurd average 5-10 touches per game this season and become an instant mismatch for opposing teams whether he’s playing running back, receiver, H-back, or whatever else.