NFL Draft 2011: San Francisco 49ers Preparing for Life After Frank Gore

Remember the good old days when the NFL running back recipe was simple? Find an elite every-down back, run him ragged for five or six years, win a few fantasy football titles and send him out to pasture before he hits 30. 

Then linebackers started running 4.5 40-yard dashes. It got tougher to find a runner who could block James Harrison on one play and catch a 15-yard screen pass the next. The end result was the slow death of the single-back system. 

Yet over the past six seasons, Frank Gore has remained a renaissance runner, shouldering the load for the San Francisco offense regardless of down or distance. 

As I’ve said before, it’s a crime that one of the best backs in 49ers’ history will spend his entire career mired in mediocrity, but at age 27 and coming off a busted hip, the end is near for No. 21.

Give the 49ers’ brain trust partial credit. The past two drafts, they spent picks on RBs Anthony Dixon and Glen Coffee, presumably to take some of the load off Gore. 

Unfortunately, neither had the speed or pass-catching skills needed to complement Gore once he lost a step. There’s a reason they don’t call it Thunder and Slightly Slower Thunder. 

Perhaps someone in 49er land raised this issue, because following Coffee’s surprise retirement last August the team moved quickly to replace him with Brian Westbrook, who was the perfect change-of-pace RB… back in 2007. 

The 2010 version of Westbrook was a year removed from a career-threatening series of concussions, and though he made it through the season without suffering serious head trauma, he never had a major impact. 

Fast forward to the present day. Now with 12 picks in this year’s draft, the 49ers will have several swings to try and find the home run back they need to spice up their offense and prepare the team for Gore’s eventual exit. 

Here are a few RB options along with their pros and cons. 

Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State

Pros: Awesome name. Explosive burst. Superior receiver. Had some monster games at OSU, including a 189-yard, four-TD performance against Harbaugh’s Cardinal.   

Cons: Size (only 5'5", 196 LBS). Strength. Durability. You can’t use his name in Words With Friends (playing Jacquizz on a Triple-Letter would cause your iPhone to explode). 

Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State

Pros: Runs hard. Tough to tackle in space. Compares favorable to Darren Sproles in terms of quickness. 

Cons: Injury-prone (banged up most of his junior season). Average receiver. Below-average blocker. Compares to Darren Sproles in terms of size (5’7”, 199 LBS). 

Taiwan Jones, Eastern Washington

Pros: Great acceleration and top-end speed. Reputation as a home-run back (7.9 yds a carry). Versatile: started career at Eastern Washington as a cornerback.    

Cons: Constantly injured. Played against sub-par college competition. Still hasn’t run a 40 for scouts because of injury (potential Seinfeld “I choose not to run” situation).

Shane Vereen, Cal

Pros: Tremendous receiver. Good blocker. Very durable. Short commute to Santa Clara. 

Cons: Average quickness. Lacks power. Fumbling concerns. Would a staff full of Cardinal coaches draft a Bear?    

No doubt RB falls behind QB, pass rusher and cornerback on the 49ers’ wish list for next season, but given their plethora of picks the team should be able to come away with the change-of-pace back they need on draft day.