Robert Saleh spills the beans on 49ers’ intriguing draft plan that never came to fruition
Former 49ers defensive coordinator revealed that head coach Kyle Shanahan wanted to draft Cam Skattebo before the Giants snagged him in the fourth round last year.
The San Francisco 49ers had their eyes on a running back who could complement Christian McCaffrey, and Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh just confirmed it. Ahead of the Titans’ game against the New York Giants, Saleh revealed that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan wanted to draft running back Cam Skattebo with their fourth-round pick. Saleh served as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator a year ago, giving him firsthand knowledge of the team’s draft board.
“I know coming into the draft, we were actually about to draft him in San Francisco,” Saleh said. “Kyle [Shanahan] loved him. He ended up getting taken right before we were picking, and we ended up with CJ West, who’s a pretty damn good player too.”
Giants beat San Francisco to the punch
The Giants selected Skattebo in the fourth round before San Francisco had a chance to pick, and the 49ers pivoted to defensive tackle CJ West instead. That’s a notable what-if scenario given Shanahan’s history of drafting mid-round and late-round running backs throughout his tenure with the 49ers. Many of those selections, especially in the middle rounds, didn’t pan out as expected. Skattebo, though, has been impressive so far in his NFL career with the Giants.
His style of play would have complemented McCaffrey well. Skattebo is more of a powerful runner who could even handle some fullback snaps in heavier personnel groupings. McCaffrey, meanwhile, is an all-around back who doubles as a high-end receiver. Putting those two on the field at the same time in 21 or 22 personnel packages would have given Shanahan a versatile backfield with complementary skill sets.
CJ West hasn’t delivered yet
The player San Francisco actually drafted hasn’t provided much return on the investment. West played 14 games in his first year as an NFL player last season, recording just one sack and two tackles for loss. Now, to start this season, West landed on injured reserve with a bone chip in his knee. It’s fair to say the 49ers would probably be in a better position had they landed Skattebo instead, but that’s not how things unfolded. Now on the Giants, Skattebo will face Robert Saleh’s Titans in Week 3.
At least, the 49ers found a potential solution by drafting Kaelon Black in the third round this year. The early results suggest Shanahan is happy with what the rookie has shown, and Black has carved out a real role behind McCaffrey as a complementary piece.
Shanahan has historically been resistant to playing multiple backs and taking McCaffrey off the field. Black, however, has been good enough to justify that approach, earning touches early in his career. Whether he can become the type of backfield partner Skattebo would have been remains to be seen, but the early signs are encouraging for San Francisco.
