Carlos Hyde impresses for 49ers in starting role against Ravens
By Jack Crosby
On Thursday night the San Francisco 49ers began their 2014 preseason with a game against the Baltimore Ravens. And when they took the field on offense, they had rookie Carlos Hyde starting at the running back position, and he looked the part of an NFL running back, as most thought he would.
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Hyde racked up 34 yards on just three carries on the opening drive, including a nice run in Ravens territory in which he had a nice bounce to the outside off the block of Stevie Johnson.
The rookie out of Ohio State got the start this evening as the team will be resting veteran Frank Gore, who will unquestionably be the starter when the season begins. But for now, there’s no need to risk him, which gives Hyde the chance to showcase what he can do at this level, and he took advantage of that opportunity in his debut.
If there is any position that has questions surrounding it for the 49ers, it’s the running back slot. Gore is getting up there in age, and they’ve already lost Kendall Hunter. While LaMichael James is listed as a running back, he can’t come close to shouldering the load in this offense.
But from what we saw in that first drive, Hyde might be the man for that job.