NFL Position Roles - San Francisco 49ers

04/27/24 Christian McCaffrey is the every down back. McCaffrey is heavily involved in all facets of the offense and will rarely come off the field. Elijah Mitchell will get occasional change-of-pace work. Mitchell will also get additional work late in games the 49ers win easily. Jordan Mason is the No. 3. If either McCaffrey and/or Mitchell miss time, Mason would move into a more prominent role. Fourth-round rookie Isaac Guerendo will compete for a depth role.

04/27/24 Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are the top two receivers. However, predicting which player will be heavily targeted in any week will prove difficult. At the end of the season, both players will have solid target totals, but the road will be uneven. The 49ers used a first-round draft pick on slot WR Ricky Pearsall. The rookie's role will be dependent upon whether the 49ers trade either of their top two receivers. Jauan Jennings could get a couple targets in most games in a rotational role. Fourth-round rookie Jacob Cowing, Ronnie Bell and Danny Gray will try to push Jennings for the No. 3 role during training camp.

04/27/24 George Kittle is a full time player and will dominate TE targets. That said, there are many weeks when Kittle is used mostly as a blocker. Therefore, it's difficult to predict when Kittle will have high-volume games.