Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., and the recently traded Matt Breida all share at least one thing in common. They each entered the NFL as undrafted free agents. Maybe that was a good thing because, for each, not hearing their names called during their respective drafts provides a chip on their shoulders and further fuels their desires to prove doubters wrong.
General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, with significant help from running backs coach Bobby Turner, have always been able to find hidden gems when it comes to ball carriers. The earliest this regime has drafted a running back is in the third round with Joe Williams in 2017, the trio's first offseason with San Francisco. In fact, Williams, who is no longer in the NFL, is the only running back the 49ers have drafted since Lynch and Shanahan took over.
Identifying lesser-known and often overlooked running backs has paid off well for Lynch's and Shanahan's rosters. Their leading rushers over the past two seasons each entered the league as undrafted free agents.
San Francisco wasn't Mostert's first stop in the NFL. It took stops with several teams for him to eventually land with the 49ers during the season before this regime's arrival. San Francisco's decision-makers saw enough in Mostert, who was a terrific special-teams contributor, to keep him around, and he broke out last season.
The 49ers hope to strike gold again with their most recent running back additions — undrafted free agents Salvon Ahmed of Washington and JaMycal Hasty of Baylor. Matt Barrows of The Athletic recently ranked all of the 49ers' then-impending undrafted-free-agent signings, and the two running backs landed at the top of his list.
Aside from the departure of Breida, the uncertainty surrounding Jerick McKinnon's injury history factors into Ahmed's and Hasty's increased odds of making the roster. The 49ers took a gamble on McKinnon, restructuring his deal to give him another shot at returning to the football field. But the running back hasn't taken a regular-season snap since 2017.
"I think both of those guys have a shot," Barrows said of Ahmed and Hasty on Monday during a KNBR interview, "just given that McKinnon, they're relying on him right now, but you don't know what's going to happen with that knee once practices start up. And the fact that they traded Matt Breida; he's no longer on the roster.
"So there is a potential opening for another fast running back, and that's what both of these guys are; sort of that one-cut-and-go type of runner."
Ahmed rushed for 1,020 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 5.4 yards per carry last year, in his only season as a starter with the Huskies. Barrows notes in his column that Ahmed's 4.62-second 40-time at the NFL Scouting Combine won't blow anyone away, but his in-game breakaway speed has been apparent.
Here is Ahmed showing that burst against USC.
Hasty is seen as someone who can contribute as a third-down back with the ability to offer up some pass protection. He rushed for 627 yards with seven touchdowns on 109 carries last year while adding 25 receptions for 184 yards as part of a running back rotation with the Bears. His ability to contribute on special teams could help him land on an NFL roster.
Lynch and Shanahan have entrusted Coach Turner to find value and production, and he's been able to keep the running back cupboard well-stocked. Turner is notorious for his pre-draft preparation and will try to speak with as many running back prospects as possible to get to know them and to determine their fit (if any) with the 49ers.
"He was on the phone with these guys since the end of February," Barrows said of Turner during the KNBR interview, "really trying to figure out which undrafted guys might be available, and which will kind of fit the 49ers locker room. And that's become Turner's specialty. He is the master of finding late-round, undrafted, quality running backs. Going back to the days when he was Mike Shanahan's running backs coach in Denver, he did that as well.
"They put a lot of trust in Bobby Turner because they don't usually spend a high draft pick at that position, and they trust Turner to kind of turn out these gems, and he's been really good at it. And he's found two more guys this year."