The San Francisco 49ers made it some extent so as to add working backs this offseason. John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan signed Wayne Gallman in free company, after which additionally took two within the NFL Draft with Trey Sermon out of Ohio State and Elijah Mitchell out of Louisiana. The previous often is the extra intriguing prospect, as Sermon just lately revealed he has been watching 49ers movie for years now.

Sermon spent his first three years at Oklahoma earlier than transferring to Ohio State for the 2020 season. Having to be taught a brand new offense, Sermon determined to observe NFL movie of groups that utilized an out of doors zone working scheme. One of many groups he watched? The 49ers.

“Once I was making the transition to Ohio State, I used to be taking a look at lots of outdoors zone,” Sermon mentioned, by way of NBC Sports activities Bay Space. “The 49ers had been positively one of many groups that I checked out. Simply going by way of the progressions and the reads as a result of I knew once I obtained to Ohio State we had been going to run lots of that.” 

Sermon’s research paid off, as he rushed for 870 yards and 4 touchdowns in eight video games final yr. Towards Northwestern within the Huge Ten championship sport, he carried the Buckeyes to victory with 331 yards and two touchdowns on the bottom. Sermon adopted that efficiency with 193 speeding yards and a landing in opposition to Clemson within the School Soccer Playoff Semifinals.

Sermon is a bodily runner with good dimension who might make a direct affect with the 49ers. He says he expects his NFL transition to be easy and that rookie minicamp has been going effectively. 

“It hasn’t been too troublesome simply making the transition,” Sermon mentioned. “A few of the stuff is just like what I did at Ohio State. I really feel like my acclimation will probably be fairly easy and it will likely be good.”

San Francisco likes to make the most of a number of backs, however their “starter” in Raheem Mostert is getting into a contract yr. Sermon might obtain a justifiable share of snaps within the early phases of the 2021 season if he reveals the coaches he can proceed to thrive within the outdoors zone run scheme.