To put it simply, the 49ers likely will use Hyde sparingly. Frank Gore is the starter and the team’s all-time leading rusher, but the years and carries are starting to add up for him. This is likely Gore’s last season with the 49ers and in the NFL. He won’t be the workhorse he’s always been but he’s still more than likely going to see 150+ carries. The 49ers running backs saw just under 400 carries in 2013, which was one of the highest in the NFL last year.

Hyde immediately steps into a competition at running back where Marcus Lattimore is coming off his redshirt season, Kendall Hunter sees third down duties and change of pace running, and LaMichael James who many think won’t be on the roster come opening day. Now adding Hyde may say more about Lattimore’s knees than anything. Lattimore has torn ligaments in both his knees, and that changes running backs. Hyde will be competing with Lattimore for the primary back up position, and it really depends on how Lattimore’s knees are.

Hyde doesn’t excel in pass protection, which may hurt his playing time in 2014. Since Hyde would be a liability protecting Colin Kaepernick, and he isn’t a great receiver out of the backfield, Hyde likely won’t see the field much on third downs except for short yardage situations. Hyde spent plenty of time running the read option at Ohio State, so his learning curve will be small in that department.

Hyde faces a competition for playing time on just two downs, and that’s when Gore is resting, which means early in the season he will spend most of his time on the sidelines. As the season progresses and the wear and tear hits Gore more, Hyde should see more time running the ball. Barring injury to any of the backs, Hyde could see carries in the 75-100 range and as the season progresses he should see the field more and more.