The San Francisco 49ers were initially drawn to former Indiana running back Kaelon Black because of what he could do carrying the football. However, after evaluating him during Senior Bowl practices, the team also saw untapped potential as a pass-catcher—an area that wasn't heavily featured during his time with the Hoosiers.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan understands that developing Black's receiving skills will take time, but the early signs during organized team activities (OTAs) have been encouraging.
The 49ers opened OTAs this week, and Black has already shown flashes of being more than just a traditional runner out of the backfield.
"I see a guy that I think could be developed in the pass game," Shanahan said on Thursday. "We definitely were excited about him, and the first thing we loved about him was him as a runner. But we've gotten a lot of guys here who didn't start out great in the pass game. They have the skill set to do it; they just haven't worked at it that much."
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area noted that quarterback Brock Purdy connected with Black on two consecutive plays during Thursday's practice. The first was an impressive fingertip catch by the rookie, further highlighting his potential as a receiving threat out of the backfield.
Shanahan pointed to former 49ers running backs Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell as examples of players who improved significantly as receiving threats after arriving in San Francisco.
"I thought those guys got a lot better, and I see Kaelon being the same way," Shanahan added. "He's got the skills to do it, just needs to work at it."
Christian McCaffrey remains firmly entrenched as the 49ers' starting running back, while Black is competing for a larger role behind the All-Pro veteran. So far, McCaffrey has been impressed with what he has seen from the rookie.
"He's been great," McCaffrey said. "He's been everything you would want in a rookie—super attentive in meetings, does everything right, has a bunch of talent, and complements our room really well."
McCaffrey has also taken time to mentor the first-year running back as he adjusts to life in the NFL, and he's noticed that Black is a quick learner.
"He's somebody that's so eager to learn, and so we've had a couple of conversations outside of practice on different things that I'm seeing," McCaffrey said. "But what I see in him already—and it's been just a few weeks—is he can pick things up so quickly. It doesn't take him long. Once he does something or once you tell him something, he knows how to correct it, knows how to fix it, and he's a true football player.
"As he just continues to be at practice and get these reps, he'll learn all this stuff on his own as well."
With OTAs underway, Black appears to be making an early impression as the 49ers evaluate their backfield depth heading into the 2026 NFL season.
Mentioned in this article: Kaelon Black, Christian McCaffrey, Brock Purdy
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