The 49ers pulled one of the biggest surprises of April’s draft when they selected Indiana RB Kaelon Black in the third round. Considered a late-round prospect at most, Black went from a Curt Cignetti lifer at the collegiate level to a chance to serve as Christian McCaffrey’s backup. As it turns out, San Francisco believes strongly in the rookie running back. Black was used early and often during Thursday’s opener against the Rams, seeing enough touches to frustrate McCaffrey’s fantasy owners.
Here’s what you need to know about Black and his role in the 49ers’ offense. MORE RAMS-49ERS NEWS:
Brock Purdy’s 3 TDs lead 49ers past Rams in Melbourne Matthew Stafford’s clunker and more in 49ers vs. Rams overreactions How Myles Garrett was silenced by Trent Williams in Rams debut Best reviews from Jonas Brothers halftime show in Australia Latest injury updates on 49ers rookie De’Zhaun Stribling Who is Kaelon Black? Black was the 90th pick in April’s NFL Draft after a four-year college career under Curt Cignetti. Originally from Virginia Beach, Black stayed in-state as a two-star prospect, heading north to James Madison. After racking up 1,401 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns in his first two seasons with the Dukes, Black followed Cignetti to Indiana and was one of two players with 1,000 rushing yards during the Hoosiers’ championship season.
Black didn’t lead Indiana in rushing yards or carries last season, but he became a Day 2 pick of the 49ers while backfield mate Roman Hemby went undrafted. The 49ers surprised many by taking him as early as they did, but they are throwing his feet to the fire in Week 1 even with McCaffrey fully healthy. MORE: How travel plans for 49ers, Rams vastly differed before Australia game
Kaelon Black vs. Christian McCaffrey stats Black received more carries than McCaffrey in the Australia game, finishing with the same number of touches as the former Offensive Player of the Year:
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Christian McCaffrey Stat Kaelon Black 55% Snap percentage 44% 10 Carries 14 68 Rushing yards 65 6.8 Yards per carry 4.6 0 Rushing TD 0 5 Receptions 1 20 Receiving yards 5 Black more than doubled McCaffrey’s carries in the first half and was efficient while doing so, rushing for 36 yards on seven attempts, and he added seven more carries for 29 yards in the second half. With that being said, McCaffrey was undeniably more active as a pass-catcher with five catches for 20 yards. Kaelon Black NFL Draft Black was the third running back off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft, going 90th overall much to fans’ surprise after he was projected to be a late-round pick. Black ranked 182nd on the NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board, which takes big boards from dozens of outlets into account.
While the running back class lacked depth behind Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, Jonah Coleman and Mike Washington Jr. were projected to be potential Day 2 picks and slid to the fourth round after the 49ers selected Black. The 49ers didn’t draft Black to sit him, evidently, as he saw touches early and often in his NFL debut.
