The San Francisco 49ers labeled Kyle Juszczyk as an "offensive weapon" upon signing the fullback in 2017. While that label had fans expecting him to be a more dynamic aspect of the offense, Juszczyk has shown his versatility over the years.
Of course, that pales in comparison to Christian McCaffrey, the running back acquired via a mid-season trade with the Carolina Panthers. McCaffrey finished last season with 1,880 total yards and 13 total touchdowns. The latter increases to 14 if you count the passing touchdown he had during Week 8 against the Los Angeles Rams.
Speaking at the 49ers State of the Franchise event a couple of weeks ago, Juszczyk joked that he has been trying to get into the quarterback room to prove his versatility.
"I'm working on it. I'm trying to get over there," Juszczyk said.
When it comes to the 49ers' most versatile offensive weapon, even Juszczyk has to concede defeat compared to McCaffrey.
"I think Christian is going to beat me in that category this year," Juszczyk admitted. "He's the new shiny toy. This is year seven for me and [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan], so I'll get my time, I'll do what I do, but I think he's going to have more fun with Christian."
49ers players like Juszczyk knew about McCaffrey's reputation before the running back joined them in the locker room. However, they didn't truly appreciate the amount of work McCaffrey puts in each day until seeing it firsthand.
"And one of the cooler things that, just in this offseason, being the first offseason that I've spent with him, is just seeing how hard he practices in this phase right now," Juszczyk shared as the 49ers were wrapping up organized team activities (OTAs). "There's a reason that he's as good as he is, and he's so refined in his craft. It's because he puts in the time, he puts in the work, and he doesn't take any day for granted."
OTAs were voluntary. The practices are typically lighter than those during training camp. However, as players and coaches have noted in recent weeks, McCaffrey has looked in regular-season form, going through the sessions at full speed, as if he were preparing for a game.
"He really is the hardest critic on himself," Juszczyk continued, "and that was one of the first things I noticed about Christian when he got into the building, is that nobody wants him to succeed more than himself, and nobody's harder on him than himself. So I think he's got even more to gain, and I think it's going to be a big year for him."
What are Juszczyk's expectations for the 49ers offense in 2023?
"It really is the majority of the same guys that we had last year," the fullback said. "And even with [Colton] McKivitz stepping in for [Mike] McGlinchey [at right tackle], it's not like it's McKivitz's first time starting. He's been out there multiple games, so that's pretty seamless.
"... But I'm excited, man. It's really hard not to be excited when you see everything that we were able to do last season and just know that we should be able to build on top of that. I only see good things."