Marcus Lattimore was shocked 49ers drafted him after gruesome knee injury

Marcus Lattimore was projected to be a star running back in the NFL before one play derailed his dreams.

Lattimore, a standout running back at South Carolina, suffered a horrific injury against Tennessee on Oct. 27, 2012, tearing all three ligaments in his knee and dislocating his kneecap.

The 23-year-old retired from football in November after attempting a valiant comeback with the San Francisco 49ers. Lattimore expressed gratitude and surprise that the 49ers selected him in the first place, in an extensive profile by SB Nation's Jason Buckland.

"I mean, why would you take a running back with two horrible knee injuries?" Lattimore said. "I did pretty good, I played good in college, but if I'm a GM I don't think I would do it."

After he won the SEC Freshman of the Year award in 2010, some believed Lattimore would be a first-round pick prior to the career-altering injury.

"I went out there and put a smile on my face like everything was alright," he said about his comeback attempt. "But it was hell. Every day."

Although it appeared unlikely that he'd make an impact at the professional level, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke doesn't regret selecting Lattimore in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

"The odds were not in our favor, or at best they were 50/50," Baalke said of Lattimore. "If anyone was going to get back, it was going to be a young man like that."

Lattimore is now working as an ambassador to the University of South Carolina. It's a twist of cruel fate that his talent was never explored to its full potential, but his positive attitude ought to serve him well in his future endeavors.