Four months after he sustained a torn Achilles, Kendall Hunter has resumed running and will be back for the start of training camp, a source close to the 49ers running back said today. Hunter, 24, who has split his time between Santa Clara and Texas this offseason, was injured in the 49ers’ win at New Orleans on Nov. 25. He rushed for 371 yards and averaged 5.2 yards a carry in his second NFL season. Hunter and LaMichael James are expected to battle for carries behind Frank Gore in 2013. A second-round pick in 2012, James made his NFL debut two weeks after Hunter was sidelined and was impressive in the latter stages of the season. Source: San Francisco Chronicle
hunter is better than lmj! i would like to see hunter take over for gore! with the offensive line we have gore should be doing better than he is! lmj is fast but he will get hurt and he carries the ball wrong which means he will fumble alot!
Hunter is very good. He was underrated last year. People didn't recognize he was averaging the same ypc as Frank. That being said, Frank is still the man. The only thing he hasn't recently done as well as years past is catching out of the backfield, but I think that is more about the scheme than his ability, as he was proven to be really good at that in the past. I think Gore could still be an all-pro as a feature back, but don't think Kendall is ready for that as of yet. LMJ did better this year than I thought he would, especially at KR. He'll continue to get better, and I'm not worried about how he carries the ball. He had 2 fumbles last year, which the one in the SB was costly at the time, but aside from that was solid. Really impressed with how he gains yards after contact. Pretty amazing to see someone his size carry a pile of guys for an extra 5 yards at times.
I have a lot of respect for Frank Gore. BUT... He's obviously lost a step. He never was a burner to begin with, and last year it was pretty evident that any trace of speed in the second level is vanishing. He's still one of the best runners between the tackles, though, and he's a BAMF, really tough to bring down, a true warrior. As for Hunter, it's great news to have him back and I hope he returns to his level. Unrelated: I do have a feeling that we'll draft Lattimore. Get him IR'd this year and give him a chance to share carries or be the featured guy in 2014. I'm sure Harbaugh will at the very least love his never-surrender mindset.
I agree that he's lost the second level speed he used to have. Case in point the big run in the SB. Couple years ago, and that's a touchdown. But between the tackles his decision-making when he sees a hole and his burst are still top-tier, as well as his pad level when he runs. Always has the leverage. But I agree that they'll grab some talent that slides in the draft at the RB position whether it be Lattimore or someone else, and develop them. Also, wondering how Jewel Hampton's development is coming along as well
