Photo courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
There are a lot of people inside the San Francisco 49ers' facility rooting for Jerick McKinnon. There are a lot of people outside of it doing the same. The running back has yet to take a regular-season snap since signing with the team in March of 2018.
An ACL injury ended his first season with the 49ers before it started — about a week before it began, in fact. A setback a year later forfeited his 2019 campaign.
Now, McKinnon may be back to form. He looks like the player head coach Kyle Shanahan envisioned when he sought to make him a featured part of the offense two years ago.
It wasn't too long ago that many questioned whether or not McKinnon would make the roster. Now, he is embarrassing his defensive teammates during one-on-one competitions.
"None of the team's linebackers can keep up with running back Jerick McKinnon in this drill," wrote Matt Barrows of The Athletic. "He first shook
Fred Warner, then did the same to
Dre Greenlaw. He juked Azeez Al-Shaair so badly that the linebacker fell down, allowing McKinnon an especially easy catch-and-run."
That's good news for everyone rooting for McKinnon to prove his doubters wrong. Teammates can't help but praise the running back whenever asked about him.
"Jet brings a little bit of everything," quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo said this past week. "He's a unique running back. ... He sees the field very similar to a quarterback, and that's a cool part because when it's a soft zone, he'll feel the spot and get to the spot where you want him to, and he sees it the same way as me."
One of the other linebackers chasing down McKinnon on the practice field has been equally impressed with the running back.
"He's been nice. He's been working real hard, been grinding," linebacker Kwon Alexander said last weekend. "You can tell when he gets out there, his cuts is precise. Everything is on-point. He's just moving, trying to get back under himself. Everybody can see it. He's been doing his thing over the offseason."
McKinnon is trying to move past the disappointment of the past two seasons. He is staying positive and embracing the future rather than dwelling on the past. Getting to this point was far from easy, though.
"It is one of those things that you kind of want to put behind you," McKinnon recently said. "It was a dark time, and I found myself in a dark place, at moments, but I'm past that point.
"I'm here to play football. I'm here to get better each and every day, and I'm just here to compete. That's the main focus — just compete, win the day, stack the days, and keep moving."
The San Francisco 49ers will hold a mandatory minicamp from June 4 through 6, officially concluding the team's offseason program. After that, the Niners will break for over a month and return to the Santa Clara facilities for training camp in late July.
Between that time, starting quarterbacks will often organize throwing sessions with their receivers in an effort to build chemistry ahead of the rigors of training camp. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has been unable to participate in such sessions over the last two years. The last overall draft pick in 2022, Purdy had yet to make a name for himself during his first offseason. Last year, he was still recovering from offseason surgery on his throwing arm.
RELATED:
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
