The 49ers on Monday worked out former Baylor running back Abram Smith per the NFL’s transaction wire.
Smith wasn’t selected in this year’s draft, but he signed on with the Saints shortly after the draft. He spent all offseason in New Orleans before being let go at final roster cuts.
It’s not a huge surprise the 49ers are working out a running back. They let go of RBs Trey Sermon and JaMycal Hasty, but both were scooped up by other teams. Sermon landed with the Eagles while Hasty signed on with the Jaguars.
Smith had a fascinating college career. He wasn’t utilized as a running back in his first two seasons and collected 46 yards on just 12 carries. In his junior year he played linebacker for the Bears and posted 48 tackles, five tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks. Then in his final year he had a monster year at running back with 1,601 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 257 attempts.
The 49ers’ practice squad doesn’t have a running back and they have one practice squad spot open. Having an in-house option to elevate to the active roster in the event of an injury is probably smart even though San Francisco is carrying four RBs on their active roster.
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