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Raheem Mostert looked as though he was ready to pick up right where he left off during his breakout performances in last season's playoff run. The running back was credited with 151 all-purpose yards on 15 rushing attempts and four receptions.
A significant chunk of that came from a 76-yard catch and run that featured
Mostert reaching a speed of nearly 23 MPH, passing Arizona Cardinals defenders in the first quarter on the way to the end zone, giving San Francisco a 10-0 lead.
It looked as though the 49ers offense was ready to run away with the game. The offense, however, wasn't able to manufacture similar explosive plays and eventually fell 24-20 to the visiting Cardinals.
Sunday was a first for Mostert. In his sixth NFL season, the running back earned his first career start. That's exactly how head coach Kyle Shanahan described it, too — "earned."
"I think Raheem just earned it last year," Shanahan said on Monday of the decision to have Mostert on the field with his teammates during the first offensive snap of the game. "The way he came on in the middle of the year, the way he finished the year, I think every running back would agree with me also that Raheem earned that.
"If you talk to Tevin (Coleman), you talk to [Jerick McKinnon] and Jeff (Wilson Jr.), I think they would agree. So, he earned it. He went out there and kept doing what he did last year.
"I thought Raheem did have a good game. We got him going on a couple of things. (He) did a good job in the pass game, too, so I was excited for him."
Nine hundred and sixty-six days after appearing in his last NFL game, Jerick McKinnon was back on the football field for his debut in red and gold. The running back signed with the team in 2018 but missed the past two seasons after suffering an ACL injury.
McKinnon finished Sunday's game with 44 all-purpose yards on three rushing attempts and three receptions. He even found his way into the end zone after hauling in a pass from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
"I was real happy for Jet," Shanahan said. "I thought Jet played well, had some key plays for us. ... Jet played very well and just him being out there was an accomplishment.
"I think it had been about a thousand days since he had played. What he's gone through to get back, he's as good of a guy as there is, so everybody was pulling for him. He's worked as hard as he can, and he's also a player who's going to help us out a lot."
McKinnon was overwhelmed by emotions from the thought of finally getting back on the football field after years of rehab.
"It was really just a blessing to wake up this morning knowing I was going to get to play in a game finally,"
McKinnon said after the Week 1 matchup. "A lot of emotions -- I woke up, shed a couple tears, and took it all in. But God is good, and I'm back.
"It was great to be back out there with my team, playing with those guys and going to war with those guys because they've definitely been right there beside me these last two frustrating years."
We are less than one week away from the NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers have their first day-one draft pick since 2021. That was the year they selected QB Trey Lance number three overall. The trade-up to get Lance cost the 49ers their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. And now that they are back in the first round, at pick 31, fans are anxious to see what the team does with the pick. And with former assistant GM, Adam Peters, now in Washington, it will be interesting to see how well the 49ers draft without Peters in the room.
We looked back at the seven drafts GM John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan have led to see what information we could pull from those drafts. There were plenty of hits, plenty of misses, and a few surprises along the way. The draft picks are
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for a franchise-record 4,280 yards last season, leading the team to the Super Bowl and earning his first Pro Bowl selection. He held onto the football 39 times on the ground, rushing for 144 yards and scoring twice. This marked a significant improvement over his rookie 2022 campaign when he had 22 carries for 13 yards and a score.
Purdy further displayed his athleticism during the 49ers' playoff game against the Detroit Lions last season, helping engineer a comeback victory while rushing for 48 yards on five carries.
On Tuesday morning, Purdy joined the "Pat McAfee Show," acknowledging that he believes he can contribute more rushing yards if called upon. However, that decision rests with head coach Kyle Shanahan,
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
