North Texas running back Jahiem White is starting to look like the kind of mid-round draft target the 49ers could circle for next offseason.
Through five games in 2026, White has put together a loud start that’s hard to ignore: 582 yards, eight touchdowns, and a 6.9 yards-per-carry average for an offense putting up 40.6 points per game. He didn’t really force his way onto draft boards until a huge outing against Tulsa, when he ripped off 231 rushing yards and a touchdown.
At five-foot-seven and 190 pounds, the redshirt junior brings a compact, dangerous style that shows up immediately on tape. White is slippery in tight spaces, hard to finish off once defenders get hands on him, and dangerous with the way he slips contact and fires through creases. His jump cuts can make defenders look stuck in place.
The other part of his game that stands out is how patient he is before he hits the gas. White waits for blocks to develop, then uses his short-area burst to explode through the lane.
If the first hole closes, he can throttle down and find another one without losing much momentum. That combination lets him build speed fast and keeps defenders from getting comfortable.
There are limits, though. White doesn’t have the power to live between the tackles as a downhill runner, and he’s not the kind of back who will regularly run through contact. That points him toward a change-of-pace and third-down role in the NFL, which means he’ll need the right partner alongside him instead of carrying the whole load by himself.
Still, that kind of skill set can fit. The 49ers have gotten a lot out of Christian McCaffrey over the past five seasons, but he’s now 30 years old and won’t be around forever. That makes this the right time for San Francisco to start thinking about the next backfield weapon for Brock Purdy.
If the 49ers go that route next offseason, White would be an intriguing name to watch. His elusiveness, vision, and burst give him the profile of a big-play threat who could be available in the middle rounds of the 2027 NFL Draft.
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