RB Mike Davis to 49ers: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

The running back position was not a large-scale need for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2015 NFL draft. But general manager Trent Baalke elected to pick up South Carolina running back Mike Davis in Round 4.

Davis was a workhorse for the Gamecocks offense in 2013 and 2014. The 5'9", 217-pound runner amassed 2,440 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns over three seasons for South Carolina. 2013 was his best season, and Davis averaged 5.8 yards per carry that year.

Year	Attempts	Yards	YPC	TDs
2012	52	275	5.3	2
2013	203	1,183	5.8	11
2014	199	982	4.9	9
Total	454	2,440	5.4	22

San Francisco appears to have its running back position set for 2015. Carlos Hyde should be the featured back with runners Kendall Hunter and Reggie Bush as complementary pieces.

But Hunter is signed only through 2015 and Bush is over 30 years old. Additional long-term depth will be needed beyond this season.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller was one analyst who liked San Francisco's pick of Davis.

Davis does come from a long line of collegiate runners out of South Carolina. He once backed up former 49ers back Marcus Lattimore.

Lattimore was one of the first to praise Davis' selection to San Francisco.

Rob Rang of CBS Sports also describes some of Davis' positive attributes:

"

Davis is a natural runner with subtleties to his game that help rack up yardage, including good lateral agility, a dead-leg hesitation move, a quality spin and the determination to keep his legs grinding through contact. Davis has good bloodlines. His older brother, James, was a star running back at Clemson and played three seasons in the NFL with Cleveland and Washington.

"

Davis might not emerge as a No. 1 back at the NFL level. But, like Hunter, he does have the potential to become a serviceable backup. This is something the 49ers might need after the 2015 season.

And there isn't going to be much pressure to force Davis into the 49ers offense right away. He'll have at least one season to learn the offensive ropes and be an understudy behind San Francisco's veteran backs.

2016 might be the first season in which fans see Davis on the field on a regular basis. If he lives up to his collegiate numbers, the 49ers should benefit from this fourth-round selection.

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated. Supplemental draft information courtesy of CBS Sports.

Peter Panacy is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers. Be sure to check out his entire archive on 49ers news, insight and analysis.

Follow him @PeterPanacy on Twitter.