Trey Sermon Lands With the 49ers, So You Can Throw the Red Flags Out the Window

Shawn Siegele
April 30, 2021

Trey Sermon was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the No. 88 pick in the 2021 NFL draft. He’ll join Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, and Wayne Gallman in a suddenly stacked running back room.

I’m mostly joking with the headline, but this was a better-than-best-case scenario, especially considering the injury backgrounds of his committee mates. The 49ers turn everyone into a fantasy star, and Sermon offers the size/athleticism profile to blow up in this offense.

Out of 64 individual team-seasons over the last two years, the 49ers’ offense ranks fifth and sixth in points to the RB position.

Over that time frame, Mostert ranks seventh in rushing fantasy points over expectation (ruFPOE). Every back ahead of him is an absolute star. If he had remained healthy…

Mostert is an undervalued reality player with timed game speeds among the best in the league. It’s a mistake to not give him credit for his skill level. But we’ve also witnessed players like Wilson post four 20-plus games in 2020 alone.

This is a dream landing spot, but Sermon is a star-crossed prospect. Does he have the resume to take advantage?

Trey Sermon’s Red-Flagged Resume and the Reason He Could Still Be a Superstar

Sermon’s most obvious characteristics make him a poster child for RB trap prospects, but one key part of his resume argues that he could be the next David Johnson. We’ll dive into his advanced stats and player comps to find out how likely he is to explode in San Francisco.

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Shawn Siegele

Author of the original Zero RB article and 2013 NFFC Primetime Grand Champion. 11-time main event league winner. 2015, 2017, 2018 titles in MFL10 of Death.

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