We all knew he would do it at some stage. Kyle Shanahan wasn’t going to go through one of the deepest running back drafts of recent memory without snagging one for himself, and he did so in the fifth round with the selection of Oregon’s Jordan James with the 147th overall pick.
Unlike last year, it wasn’t a move that required a trade up, as the 49ers vaulted back into the fourth round in 2024 to take Isaac Guerendo. And it wasn’t a bet on athleticism.
Whereas Guerendo was by far the most athletically gifted back in the 2024 class – and showed that athleticism as a rookie with a game-clinching long run in Seattle and a preseason kickoff return TD among several highlights – James posted a Relative Athletic Score of just 4.