JaMycal Hasty is trying to follow the path of several of his new San Francisco 49ers teammates, including a couple of fellow running backs. The team's rushing leaders over the past two seasons each entered the NFL as undrafted free agents. It was Matt Breida, now with the Miami Dolphins, in 2018, and then breakout star Raheem Mostert last season.
Hasty has hopes of sticking with the 49ers, a team the running back chose over others because he liked the scheme fit. He's also well aware that other running back teammates, like Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr., followed a similar path.
"It just lets me know that it can be done," Hasty told KNBR's Mark Willard on Tuesday night. "Just coming in and just trying to learn as much as I can from those guys to make us a better team, make us a better, stronger running back room, and just improve."
Hasty rushed for 627 yards with seven touchdowns on 109 carries last year with Baylor while adding 25 receptions for 184 yards as part of a running back rotation.
This would typically be the time when roster long shots, like Hasty, might be able to impress their coaches during minicamp practices. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic changed that. No one is really sure when NFL players will be able to step on the practice field, or if games will even kick off in September, as planned.
Hasty doesn't see the unique situation as negative, though, because everyone is in the same position.
"I don't necessarily look at it as a disadvantage," Hasty said. "I just look at it as that's the way it's going. Everybody's going through the same situation. It's not just me. It's not just us, the 49ers. It's everybody. It's the whole entire league. That's pretty much it. That's pretty much the whole deal.
"Everybody's going through the same situation, so there's really no excuse or anything. We're all on the same -- it's a level playing field."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Hasty below.