Getty Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers let of another member of the 2022 draft class.
Amid the San Francisco 49ers‘ success this year, the organization has admitted to another failed high draft pick for the second time in four months.
The 49ers released running back Tyrion Davis-Price, a third round 2022 NFL Draft pick, on Tuesday as the team signed safety Logan Ryan. San Francisco previously traded former No. 3 pick and quarterback Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys before the season.
Coming out of LSU, Davis-Price never panned out with the 49ers amid seven career games in less than two seasons. San Francisco played him one all season as he made six carries for 21 yards.
Davis-Price played in six games as a rookie in 2022, and he tallied 99 yards on 34 carries. A high ankle sprain didn’t help matters for Davis-Price as rookie with three games missed, but he didn’t reach his desired level of play this year when healthy.
Man what a run from 49ers RB Tyrion Davis-Price!
“Last year, he looked good early. He looked good when we didn’t have the pads on. And then all of a sudden as we started playing games, different things happened during the course of the year. It just wasn’t as good,” 49ers run game coordinator Chris Foerster told the media via NBC Sports Bay Area in August. “He, right now, looks like a man on a mission.”
Davis-Price’s mission fell short as he couldn’t carve out a role behind Niners star running back Christian McCaffrey. The lone appearance for Davis-Price this season during a 42-10 blowout of the Cowboys in October.
Lance notably didn’t play in that game when the Cowboys faced his old team. Dallas hasn’t utilized Lance this season after he fell on the 49ers’ depth chart during training camp behind Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold.
49ers Missed on Another Running Back Before Tyrion Davis-Price
Davis-Price’s departure marked the second-straight running back taken in the third round by the 49ers to not pan out.
Former Ohio State running back Trey Sermon, a 2021 selection, fell short of expectation with the 49ers. Sermon rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown on 41 carries in nine games for 2021, and the Niners cut him before the 2022 season.
Since then, Sermon has made stops with the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts. He has 51 carries for 210 yards and touchdown plus four receptions for 30 yards in his career.
Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings described Sermon as “a big, versatile running back” coming out of college. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein called Sermon a potential “three-down backup” and considered him a “middle-round” pick.
Sermon hasn’t reached such potential in his young NFL career.
49ers’ 2022 Draft Class Not Looking Great Outside of Brock Purdy
Davis-Price’s departure only added to a relatively disappointing 2022 draft class. Ironically, Purdy, the final player taken in the draft, has turned out the best with an MVP-caliber season this year.
Former second-round pick Drake Jackson has three sacks and four tackles this season at defensive end, but he landed on injured reserve last month due to a knee injury. Wide receiver Danny Gray, a third-round pick, has one career catch for seven yards, and he has been on injured reserve this year.
Offensive lineman Spencer Buford, a fourth-round pick, has been one of the bright spots with 27 career starts already. Cornerback Samuel Womack III, a fifth-round pick, has played sparingly with two tackles in three games this year.
Defensive tackle Kalia Davis, a sixth-round pick, likewise hasn’t played much — just once this season with a tackle against the Eagles. Offensive lineman Nick Zakelj gained recognition as Purdy’s roommate, but the former Fordham standout also played special teams before a season-ending biceps injury.
Lastly, cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields, a sixth round pick, didn’t make the team this season, and he joined the Washington Commanders afterward.