On Day 2 of the NFL Draft, the Niners scooped up Indiana's Kaelon Black, betting that this time they've finally found the answer in the backfield through the draft. This, from a franchise whose recent history of drafted running backs reads less like a highlight reel and more like a cautionary tale.

To be fair, the 49ers had a productive Day 2 overall — receiver De'Zhaun Stribling and edge rusher Romello Height both address real needs. But it's the Black pick that has the fan base split between cautious optimism and full-blown PTSD.

The case for Black isn't nothing. He was a productive back at Indiana, and Kyle Shanahan's system has historically turned even middling talent into serviceable contributors. The zone-run scheme is a great equalizer — when it works. The problem is that San Francisco has repeatedly spent draft capital on backs who looked electric on college tape and then evaporated at the pro level. The organization that turned undrafted gems and trade acquisitions into Pro Bowlers has somehow never been able to replicate that magic on draft day at the position.

As one local put it, "The 49ers drafting a running back is like me saying I'm going to start going to the gym on Monday. I want to believe it, but history says otherwise."

Look, we genuinely hope Black breaks the curse. A young, cheap, productive running back is exactly what a team with San Francisco's cap constraints needs — this is a roster that can't afford to keep writing massive checks at every position. Fiscal responsibility matters on a salary cap just like it does in city hall.

But forgive the rest of us if we wait to see the receipts before we pop the champagne. The 49ers have earned that skepticism the old-fashioned way: one draft bust at a time.