The 2020 NFL season probably didn't go as running back Raheem Mostert had hoped. Injuries reduced his participation to just eight games. Mostert finished the season with 521 rushing yards on 104 carries with two rushing touchdowns and a receiving score.
According to Next Gen Stats, Mostert did finish the season recording the two fastest ball-carrier speeds. He hit 23.09 MPH during Week 2 against the New York Jets, a game he left with an MCL sprain, and forcing the running back to miss the next two matchups.
Mostert was tracked reaching 22.73 MPH during a Week 1 touchdown reception against the Arizona Cardinals.
49ers' Raheem Mostert logged the NFL's two fastest ballcarrier speeds of the 2020 season: 23.09 MPH on the 80-yard sprint against the Jets and 22.73 MPH on the catch-and-score TD against Arizona.
Big gap ahead of No. 3: Kenyan Drake 22.11 MPH
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) January 11, 2021
Based on average RB speed collected by NFL Next Gen Stats tracking data, that 80-yard Mostert TD was only expected to be a 5-yard gain. But 23 MPH changed that.
75 yards over expectation made Mostert's TD NGS' third-most "remarkable run" of the season https://t.co/MlyXfwlXKF
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) January 11, 2021
Related: Mostert's 76-yard TD catch vs Arizona was only expected for 27 YAC according to the tracking data, but his nearly-23 MPH turned that into an untouched TD
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) January 11, 2021
Below are the five fastest ball-carrier speeds of the 2020 season.
- Raheem Mostert, SF, RB, 23.09 MPH, Week 2, 80-yard TD run
- Raheem Mostert, SF, RB, 22.73 MPH, Week 1, 76-yard TD reception
- Kenyan Drake, ARI, RB, 22.11 MPH, Week 6, 68-yard TD run
- Jonathan Taylor, IND, RB, 22.05 MPH, Week 17, 29-yard run
- Tyreek Hill, KC, WR, 21.91 MPH, Week 14, 44-yard TD reception
Mostert landed on injured reserve twice this past season. The second time came on Christmas Day because of an ankle injury, which forced the running back to miss the season's final two games.
Mostert wasn't the only 49ers player who led in a Next Gen Stats category. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel led the league in average separation. That's the distance measured between an offensive player and the nearest defender at the time of a catch or incompletion. Samuel averaged 4.6 yards of separation.
The next-closest player was Green Bay Packers tight end Robert Tonyan, who averaged 4.2 yards of separation.
Below are the five players who averaged the most yards of separation during the 2020 season.
- Deebo Samuel, SF, WR, 4.6 yards
- Robert Tonyan, GB, TE, 4.2 yards
- Demarcus Robinson, KC, WR, 4.2 yards
- David Moore, SEA, WR, 4.1 yards
- Dawson Knox, BUF, TE, 4.0 yards
Like Mostert, Samuel's season was limited due to injuries. The receiver appeared in just seven games after starting the season on injured reserve as he continued to recover from the broken foot suffered during the offseason. A hamstring strain during Week 7 caused him to miss more time.
Samuel finished the season with 33 receptions for 391 yards and a touchdown. He also led the league in average yards after the catch (YAC) per reception. Samuel recorded an average of 12.3 yards after the catch according to Next Gen Stats.