The San Francisco 49ers get a lot of flak for their drafting ability, and some of that is earned. However, they do have an eye for talent, and head coach Kyle Shanahan nearly had an interesting running back at his disposal.
Christian McCaffrey is that Swiss Army knife that Shanahan uses in the run and passing game, but he nearly had a bruising complementary piece to go alongside him. On Sept. 23, former 49ers defensive coordinator and now Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh admitted that the Niners were keen on Cam Skattebo at last year’s draft.
“[Skattebo is] cool, man,” Saleh told reporters. “I like him. He’s like the old-school 2010 Madden hit stick. Lower your shoulder, run people over. Plays his ass off. Lots of energy. I know going into the draft we were actually about to draft him in San Francisco.
“Kyle loved him, and he ended up getting taken right before we were picking, and I think we ended up with CJ West, who was a pretty damn good player too. He’s a spark plug.”
Skattebo would be taken in the fourth round, 105th overall, by the New York Giants, and the Niners would pick CJ West in the fourth round a few picks later at 113th overall.
In his two seasons with the Giants, Skattebo has had 131 carries for 527 yards and has scored eight touchdowns in 10 games, per StatMuse. Last season, the second-year running back played only eight games after a right ankle injury cut his campaign short.
49ers’ CJ West Goes on Injured Reserve as Depth Is Tested
This year, the 49ers drafted a running back when they selected Kaelon Black in the third round, 90th overall. Moreover, some felt that San Francisco reached for Black, but perhaps Shanahan learned from last year that waiting a few more spots for a draft prospect he likes might come back to bite him.
Speaking of West, the second-year defensive lineman was placed on injured reserve after suffering a bone chip in his knee. Despite being out on injured reserve, the 49ers appear hopeful that they can get him back later in the season.
Nonetheless, the depth at defensive tackle is being tested, and the season is barely three weeks old. Shanahan recently spoke about the concerning situation that he faces on the defensive line.
“Any time you have five defensive tackles make the team, and you’re down to two of them through two games, that’s always a concern for anybody,” Shanahan said (h/t Niners Nation). “We were able to sign one new guy, and we’ve got three guys on practice squad that’ll be competing to see who is up. We’ve got guys that are in this building. We’ve got to see how those guys step it up.”
Niners Reporter Gets Blunt on DeForest Buckner Speculation
With the depth being tested, there’s been speculation regarding whether the 49ers could bring back Indianapolis Colts‘ DeForest Buckner. Nonetheless, 49ers reporter Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area said a potential Buckner reunion wouldn’t happen right now, despite the Colts being 0-2.
“The Colts have a chance, though,” Lee Chan said in a Sept. 22 livestream on her YouTube channel. “Their division is weak. It’s too early to let him go. When it comes to being closer to the trade deadline, if the Colts are having a s—-y season, then yes. Maybe they’ll trade away [Buckner] because why not at this point? But it’s not going to be now.
“It’s going to be way closer to the trade deadline. The Niners have to be really playing well and need one piece, and that would have to be [Buckner] and then the Colts have to just be sucking.”
Robert Saleh Makes Blunt 49ers Admission About Giants’ Cam Skattebo