Gil Brandt of NFL.com sees 49ers RB Marcus Lattimore getting a big role in the team's offense this season: "Lattimore missed the entire 2013 campaign while recovering from a serious knee injury that cut his final college season short -- something the Niners surely expected when they picked him in the fourth round last year. I think San Francisco is about to rewarded for its patience. Lattimore is a tough, one-cut runner with great instincts, exactly the type of power back the 49ers like to run with, in the mold of incumbent starter Frank Gore. I wouldn't be surprised to see Lattimore get some crunch-time carries this season and become the starter by 2015, when Gore is set to hit free agency. Lattimore -- who is a great person, by the way -- has plenty of promise; I think he's an even better running back than Eddie Lacy."
He was considered the most talented RB in the Class of ’13 prior to the dislocated knee he suffered in October of 2012. He’ll be nearly two years removed from the injury at the start of the 2014 season and is expected to push Kendall Hunter (and perhaps a declining Frank Gore) for playing time.