49ers Use ‘Deebo’ Pick on Projected Christian McCaffrey Replacement..
The San Francisco 49ers drafted a speedy running back from Oregon in the fifth round of the recent NFL Draft.
San Francisco 49ers fifth-round selection Jordan James knows a thing or two about speed.
James assumed the starting running back role from the departed Bucky Irving at Oregon last season and topped the Big Ten in rushing yards with 1,267 yards, while scoring 15 touchdowns.
The season before, James rushed for 759 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns sharing the backfield with Irving, now of the Tampa Buccaneers. He also averaged an FBS-high 7.1 yards per carry.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey Makes Huge Announcement – Athlon Sports
The 49ers had a need to find an eventual successor for Christian McCaffrey, and head coach Kyle Shanahan would prefer it be a back who fits their run scheme which is zone based.
During his video call with reporters following his selection in Round 5 of this NFL Draft (with the pick gained in the Deebo Samuel trade), the running back said there are similarities between the offenses at Oregon and in San Francisco.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey Makes Huge Announcement – Athlon Sports
“I think they have a great outside-zone run scheme that I’m pretty good at, that I did a lot at Oregon,” James said. “So, I think I’ll fit pretty well into their scheme, into their offense in general.”
The 49ers traded former backup running back Jordan Mason to the Minnesota Vikings this offseason. They need someone to fill that spot.
Directors of player personnel Tariq Ahmad, RJ Gillen and director of scouting and football operations, Josh Williams, spoke Saturday evening when the draft was over and shared their opinion on James.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey Makes Huge Announcement – Athlon Sports
“He’s physical and then in the pass game, I thought at the pro day he showed he could catch the football well,” Williams said. “And he’s good in pass protection as well. A guy that made a lot of sense for what we wanted.”
Ahmad then chimed in on James.
“We love Jordan James,” Ahmad said. “We loved him before, off [of the] tape. He had more burst and acceleration than what we expected. He’s going to be a great fit for us. He will add a lot of value next year.”
Christian McCaffrey Begins Offseason Workout Program with ‘No Restrictions’ ..
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey reached his No. 1 goal of the offseason on Day 1 of the team’s offseason workout program.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey Makes Huge Announcement – Athlon Sports
After having his 2024 campaign cut short by leg injuries, the 2023 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year reported to Tuesday’s voluntary workouts restriction-free.
“It’s been such a smooth process, a lot of hard work,” McCaffrey told reporters. “As soon as that injury happened in Buffalo, this was my goal, to not miss a day of OTAs, to come back, ready to go with nothing hindering me. That’s where I’m at.”
McCaffrey was only able to suit up for a total of four games last season. He started the year on the Injured Reserve list after battling with Achilles injuries, pushing back his season debut until Week 10. A month or so later, he suffered a PCL injury during the 49ers snowy meeting with the Buffalo Bills. At that point, San Francisco opted to sit McCaffrey for the remainder of the 2024 campaign.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey Makes Huge Announcement – Athlon Sports
The nine‑year pro said it didn’t take long into the offseason before he finally felt like himself again.
“It went by pretty quickly,” McCaffrey noted. “I don’t remember the exact date, but I got to a point pretty early in the offseason where I was training full-speed, ready to go.”
Now, less than five months post-injury, McCaffrey is set to be a full participant in the team’s offseason workouts. And, he was part of a large contingency of 49ers players who reported for Phase 1 which is a voluntary portion of program.
“It was such a good turnout. It was great energy on the field, in the weight room, and in meetings,” McCaffrey said. “Hopefully, we can continue that. It’s definitely exciting, and you get a lot of first day juice.”
