The San Francisco 49ers drafted South Carolina Gamecocks running back Marcus Lattimore in the fourth-round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Lattimore’s draft stock plummeted after an ACL injury during his final collegiate season, and that injury caused him to miss the entire 2013 NFL season.
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With 2014 training camps under way, the second-year running back has yet to be cleared for on-field work and it has fueled some speculation about whether Lattimore would make San Francisco’s 53-man active roster to start the season.
49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh is answering that debate and making it clear.
“Marcus is going to be a part of this team, in some form or fashion,” Harbaugh said, via Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area. “I know what he’s got inside of him and I know what he’s capable of doing on the football field. We all do.”
The 49ers already have a solid running back in Frank Gore, though he is most likely on the back end of his career trajectory. They also drafted Ohio State running back Carlos Hyde in 2014, further fortifying the position. Lattimore could still be apart of the 49ers’ long term plans and might get onto the field at some point during the 2014 season, but the start of it looks in doubt certainly.