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How Mason beat out two 49ers third-round picks for backup role originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — Jordan Mason had a difficult road ahead of him, considering he signed as an undrafted rookie with the 49ers in 2022.
At the time, San Francisco had invested third-round picks in players at his position in back-to-back drafts.
Two years later, Mason still is around and producing in a big way.
“Once backs get here, we really don’t care,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “We watch them run in practice, and where they were drafted or the name on their jersey, really doesn’t matter to us.”
That is why the 49ers did not hesitate to waive those third-round picks, Trey Sermon and Ty Davis-Price, and go with Mason in a backup role
Sermon, on his third NFL team, now is a backup with the Indianapolis Colts. Davis-Price is on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad.
Mason, a third-year player, got his first NFL starting assignment on Monday night. He came through with a career-high 147 yards and one touchdown on 28 rushing attempts in the 49ers’ 32-19 victory over the New York Jets on Monday night in the season opener.
“We’ve been committed to running the ball for a while,” Shanahan said. “There are lots of styles that can be successful running the ball, but you better be able to do it a certain way and not mess around with us.
“And as soon as he got here, he hit the hole every single time.”
Shanahan said Mason also is easy to coach. There were times he was so intent on hitting the hole quickly that he missed opportunities to bounce to the outside.
Mason became more cognizant of seeing the entire picture, Shanahan said, and still was able to maintain his natural ability to run the football.
Shanahan admits to not knowing much about Mason as he entered the 2021 NFL Draft from Georgia Tech. He was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine.
After all, Mason’s final two college seasons were about half as productive as his first two years. That’s…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mason-beat-two-49ers-third-165039580.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-09-11 16:50:39
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