SANTA CLARA — Jordan Mason is one of the best stories in the NFL.
The 49ers barely used him the past two seasons even though he averaged more than 5 yards per carry. Now he’s their starting running back because Christian McCaffrey is injured. And through four weeks, Mason is the league’s second-leading rusher behind All Pro running back Derrick Henry.
Keep in mind, Mason was an undrafted free agent in 2022.
Who is this guy? How is he so good?
Kyle Shanahan asked about Mason on Monday’s conference call. Here’s what he said courtesy of the 49ers p.r. department.
Q: As far as Jordan Mason with his ability to transfer to your outside zone run game, which is pretty prominent in what you do, what are his specific attributes?
SHANAHAN: “How hard he runs, that he almost always gets more than it’s blocked for. He usually goes to the right hole and hits his right, he runs violently and doesn’t slow down and runs very similar to how he did in college. He’s a very efficient, hard-running back.”
Q: Given what Mason has done for your run game this year, only Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry has more rushing yards at this point, and you’ve had other guys come into your system and just thrive in that run game. And I know your dad had that, obviously, in Denver and elsewhere. What did you learn from your dad as far as creating a run game where so many different kinds of backs could thrive and how have you forwarded that?
SHANAHAN: “I think really just growing up and watching it and just realizing the importance of it, mainly. Just the commitment to it as a team. Not just dabbling in it, just truly growing up watching how important it was. And so I, when I started football, I always believed it was one of the most important things so I’ve always just looked at football that way. And I don’t think there’s much of a secret to it. First time I coached with him was in Washington, I remember always asking him, ‘What’s the secret you’re not telling me?’ And then he would just laugh at me and go, ‘The secret? There is no secret. You just get what you emphasize and you work hard at it and you hold everyone accountable.’ And that’s really what we do. And then you try to get the right runners in here. It’s not like every back could do this stuff, by no means. You’ve got to have the right backs and we’ve been fortunate to have some good ones.”
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