Tim Hightower

Grant Cohn:

Carlos Hyde is the slowest and most indecisive running back on the 49ers. I’m not saying he’s bad – he does have quick feet between the tackles, he can bounce inside runs to the outside and he plows through defenders. But he doesn’t seem to have the vision to succeed in Kyle Shanahan’s outside-zone running scheme. Tuesday, he was the only running back who never found a hole to run through. On one stretch play, he missed a cutback lane, tried to bounce around the outside even though the linebacker had set the edge and lost three yards. The Niners should trade him to a team that runs the zone read.

Related players: Joe Williams, Tim Hightower

There have been questions about Hyde’s fit in the new offense and Shanahan reportedly coveted Joe Williams above all others as the fourth round of the draft began. He wasn’t on GM John Lynch’s draft board due to character concerns, so Lynch called Williams before the round began and was taken aback by Williams’ explanation for his issues in college. The GM eventually agreed to trade up to nab Williams, so Shanahan got his man. Does it sound like Hyde is safe?