Carlos Hyde slimmed down, poised to lead backfield
by Daniel Rogers | Fri, Apr 24th 1:15pm EDT
49ers General Manager Trent Baalke had praise for running backCarlos Hyde recently, saying the back "looks extremely good." Carlos Hyde is entering his second year with the 49ers, and is poised to become the lead running back. According to the Baalke, Hyde has dropped from last year's 235lbs to the mid 220's. Hyde is a fast, three-down back that is more than capable of being Frank Gore's prodigy. Hyde is more of a between-the-tackles back, as Gore was, but eight years younger. (49ers on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact:
Many mock drafts have Hyde going before the second round is over, and I would vouch for him to go early, also. Besides losing Iupati to fellow westcoast rivals, the Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers offensive line will be a replica of the 2014 season. Although the line did underperform, that group is capable of greatness, as they showed in the years prior to last season's all-around trainwreck. If the offensive line can clear lanes for Hyde, he will run all over the NFL. Hyde showed plenty of promise last season while backing up Gore, averaging 4.0 yards on just 83 attempts. It will be tough to replace the imprint Gore left behind at Levi's Stadium, but Hyde shows promise as the lead back in this newly-revamped offense.
More Carlos Hyde: News, Rankings, Projections, Stats
