SANTA CLARA — A lot of the football world might have been surprised when the 49ers selected Indiana running back Kaelon Black with the No. 90 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.Coach Kyle Shanahan, however, seemed surprised that people were surprised.
After all, the 49ers had Black rated as their second-best running back in the draft class — presumably behind only Jeremiyah Love, whom the Arizona Cardinals selected at No. 3 overall.
The 49ers evaluated Black as an ideal back for their system. And in the short amount of time he has been in the building, Black sees it the same way.
“It (the 49ers’ offense) fits great for me,” Black told NBC Sports Bay Area on “Meet the Rookies.”
“It really maximizes what a running back can truly do. A lot of times running backs aren’t asked to catch the ball a lot out of the backfield. But here, it’s the complete opposite. You’re going to go out there and run different routes and you’re almost going to feel like a receiver first sometimes.”
Black caught just eight passes in his 29 games at Indiana over...