At 5-7, the 49ers are pretty much out of it. But I will be interested to see what Isaac Guerendo does in the final month of the season. I like the size and speed, and it’s looking like he’s going to fit nicely in that offense.
The 49ers are putting Christian McCaffrey (knee) and Jordan Mason (ankle) on IR, so it’s going to Guerendo’s gig for the duration. He hasn’t played much yet, but when he’s been out there, he’s looked like he might develop into something.
Guerendo weighs 221 pounds, and he ran 4.33 at the combine. Those traits prompted the 49ers to select him in the fourth round, despite Guerendo starting only one game at the college level. (At least that one game was a good one – 161 yards and 3 touchdowns in a bowl game against Southern Cal.)
Kyle Shanahan hasn’t made much luck with running backs in the draft – at least not with early picks. He found Elijah Mitchell in the sixth round, and he had some success with Jordan Mason, Jeff Wilson and Matt Breida (who all weren’t picked at all). But Shanahan has missed all of the running backs he took with earlier picks: Tyrion Davis-Price (third round), Joe Williams (fourth) and Trey Sermon (third).
Guerendo looks like he might bust that slump in a big way. He moves different than other guys. He ripped off a 76-yard run at Seattle, and he carried 14 times for 85 yards and a touchdown against Dallas. He had a touchdown in the Buffalo game Sunday night.
We’ll see how things unfold over the next month, but I’m thinking Guerendo looks like he might blossom, becoming the back who succeeds McCaffrey. (Heading into the 2025 season, I expect to like Guerendo more than Mason.)
| SHANAHAN'S ROOKIE RUNNERS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Rd | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2021 | Elijah Mitchell | 6 | 207 | 963 | 4.7 | 5 |
| 2017 | Matt Breida | FA | 105 | 465 | 4.4 | 2 |
| 2018 | Jeff Wilson | FA | 66 | 266 | 4.0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Jordan Mason | FA | 43 | 258 | 6.0 | 1 |
| 2024 | Isaac Guerendo | 4 | 42 | 246 | 5.9 | 2 |
| 2021 | Trey Sermon | 3 | 41 | 167 | 4.1 | 1 |
| 2020 | Jamycal Hasty | FA | 39 | 148 | 3.8 | 1 |
| 2022 | Tyrion Davis-Price | 3 | 34 | 99 | 2.9 | 0 |
| 2017 | Joe Williams | 4 | 0 | 0 | -- | 0 |
—Ian Allan