Which rookies have stood out so far in camp?
The San Francisco 49ers finished their first week of training camp, which included some injuries, rookie moments, and players getting back in their groove as the preseason nears.
Ahead of the season, San Francisco is looking to limit the workloads of several stars, hoping to get them healthier to start the year and avoid a repeat of the disastrous 2024 season.
As a result, several younger players have gotten their opportunities to shine and grow, especially in the running back and wide receiver rooms.
With the 49ers limiting star Christian McCaffrey, more attention is on second-year running back Isaac Guerendo and rookie fifth-rounder Jordan James. While the former seems slated for a bigger workload in 2024, the latter is competing for the No. 3 spot with veteran Patrick Taylor.
What has James shown so far during the non-padded portion of training camp?
“He’s doing a good job. I mean, he is hitting the holes hard,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said over the weekend. “I like how he’s been running. Definitely want to get the pads on, especially with the running backs. It’s always tough to evaluate guys without pads. Same with the linebackers, really everybody almost except for the quarterback, but he’s had a good four days and can’t wait to get the pads on tomorrow.”
In addition, undrafted free agent running back Corey Kiner has been earning some opportunities, as he looks to make the 53-man roster. He had a nice catch down the field on Sunday, according to reports, which Shanahan noted was a part of his arsenal in college.
“I think he’s capable of [catching the ball out of the backfield],” Shanahan said of Kiner. “Something he did a little bit of in college, but they ran a blitz so you have to run it versus a D-Lineman peeling and it’s a good look for him, but he was able to run by him and made a big play.”
The 49ers have constantly found value in the later rounds of the draft at running back, even nabbing some undrafted gems such as Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason. It all relates back to their scouting department and the experience of running backs coach Bobby Turner.
“We’ve got a really good scouting system that does it year-round,” Shanahan continued. “They bring us these backs when the offseason gets there, and Bobby T shuts his door for about three months and doesn’t talk to anyone except running backs from college that he calls over and over again.
“And then we all do it too. I mean, from [offensive line coach Chris] Foerster to [offensive coordinator] Klay [Kubiak] to myself, all the scouts upstairs. So, we’re always evaluating backs.”
Of course, the opportunities during the regular season will be limited with McCaffrey at the forefront of the picture. But, it’s a good sign that the younger backs are taking advantage of opportunities early, with the most important reps coming over the last weeks of camp with pads coming on.