Jordan James set to learn from Christian McCaffrey, earns praise from 49ers legend

New San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan James knows how to find the end zone. The former Oregon standout scored 15 rushing touchdowns last season and 26 over the past two years. Now, the 49ers hope he can bring that same production to the NFL.

"I like to think I'm pretty good at that, but I'm just trying to get in that end zone," James said during a virtual interview shortly after being selected in the fifth round. "I'm trying to get those points on the board. I want to be explosive in everything I do."

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Naturally, James was asked about his fit with his new team.

"I think they have a great outside-zone run scheme that I'm pretty good at, that I did a lot at Oregon," James said. "So, I think I'll fit pretty well into their scheme, into their offense in general."

James is also eager to learn from one of the game's best, calling it an "honor" to be teammates with veteran star Christian McCaffrey.

As owner Jed York hinted in a social media post, one person who likely advocated for James is 49ers legend Frank Gore, who now helps the team in player evaluations. James considers that another major honor.

He noted he has had previous interactions with Gore, a friend of his former running backs coach Carlos Locklyn. Still, receiving a vote of confidence from a player of Gore's stature is significant.

"That means a lot, just the caliber of player he was," James shared. "That's a Hall of Fame running back right there, and just to get a compliment from him on my game, that means a lot."