Kaelon Black selected by San Francisco 49ers in third round of 2026 NFL Draft
The San Francisco 49ers made Kaelon Black the fourth Hoosier taken in the 2026 NFL Draft, selecting him with the 90th overall pick.
He becomes the first running back taken from Indiana since Jordan Howard was selected by the Bears in 2016.
Black joins Fernando Mendoza (No. 1 overall), Omar Cooper Jr. (No. 30 overall), and D’Angelo Ponds (No. 50 overall) as players from Indiana selected in the first two days of the NFL Draft.
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Black spent most of his first season in Bloomington as the third running back, but became a key contributor on last year’s National Championship team. He rushed for 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 5.6 yards per attempt for Indiana.
He led the Hoosiers with 79 rushing yards on 17 carries in the National Championship against Miami.
The 5-foot-10 and 210-pound running back entered the draft with many expecting him to be a day three pick, but a strong pre-draft process including a great performance at Indiana’s Pro Day saw Black shoot up draft boards and eventually wind up as the third running back off the board.
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He spent two seasons with Indiana after transferring from James Madison following Curt Cignetti’s hiring. He had 1401 total yards and 10 touchdowns in his final two years with the Dukes before transferring.
For the 49ers it is the second straight year that they have selected a former Hoosier in the draft, with the franchise taking Kurtis Rourke in last year’s draft.
With the San Francisco using a third-round selection on Black, it is likely he has a sizable role behind Christian McCaffrey in Kyle Shanahan’s offense as a rookie.
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