SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Sitting with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NFL draft, the San Francisco 49ers were linked to just about every top prospect available. That's to be expected, of course, given it was the first draft in what figured to be a serious rebuild for the Niners.

Saquon Barkley should catch the eye of any team looking for a running back in the 2018 draft. Mike Carter/USA TODAY Sports

One of the names that repeatedly came up was LSU running back Leonard Fournette. While drafting a running back in the top five was no longer taboo after what Dallas got from Ezekiel Elliott in 2016, it still seemed like a long shot that the Niners would be the team to draft Fournette considering the history of new coach Kyle Shanahan.

After all, the Shanahan family -- Kyle and his father, Mike -- along with running backs coach Bobby Turner, have made a career of getting first-round production from running backs taken much later. For example, Kyle Shanahan had just coached fourth-round pick Devonta Freeman and third-round pick Tevin Coleman to big seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.

Ultimately, that hunch proved correct as the Niners moved down a spot and drafted defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. Fournette went No. 4 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But with Fournette leading the charge for the playoff-bound Jaguars and coming to Levi's Stadium on Sunday, Shanahan was asked if avoiding running backs early is part of an overall philosophy or just how things have happened in the past.

“It’s been proven that you can get guys later," Shanahan said. "But, that by no means makes it that I’m going to say we’re never going to draft a running back high. When you find a special one and you think that makes sense for your team, you should never hesitate to do that."

2018 NFL DRAFT Round 1: Thursday, 8 p.m., ESPN/ESPN App

Rounds 2-3: Friday, 7 p.m., ESPN/ESPN App

Rounds 4-7: Sat., noon, ESPN/ABC/ESPN App

Where: Arlington, Texas

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The 49ers entered this season with Carlos Hyde as their primary back and undrafted rookie Matt Breida serving as the top backup. Fourth-round pick Joe Williams is on injured reserve but expected to compete again next year. Hyde has had a solid if unspectacular season, while Breida has been solid in spot duty.

Fournette, meanwhile, is eighth in the NFL in rushing and closing in on a 1,000-yard season as the focal point of Jacksonville's offense. Seeing Fournette's success and noting that the Niners now have their quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo, they have a world of possibilities in front of them when it comes to the 2018 NFL draft.

Whether Shanahan would take a running back that high in the draft could again become a topic for discussion as Hyde is set to become an unrestricted free agent and the Niners could use more gamebreakers at the skill positions. That means someone like Penn State's Saquon Barkley could be a hotly debated option for the 49ers as the draft draws near and they figure to have a pick in the top five or six.

Based on what Shanahan said Wednesday, that's a possibility that can't be ruled out even though he's also quick to point out that star running backs have been found all over the draft.

"A big-time running back, whether it’s Fournette, whether it’s Adrian Peterson who was a top-10 pick, whether it was Terrell Davis in the sixth round, whether it’s David Johnson who I think was a third-rounder or Le’Veon Bell I think is a second-rounder, all those guys are worth top-five picks, but they were all found different places," Shanahan said. "If they came back out, if Terrell came out I promise you he’s not going in the sixth round. He’s probably going as a top-five pick and that’s one of the reasons they won a Super Bowl. You’ve just got to find who you think that guy is. There’s lots of ways to do it.”