SANTA CLARA — When the 49ers selected running back Kaelon Black in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, it did not take long for it to register with him.“I realized it from that moment on: I’m going to be CMC’s teammate,” Black said of his new teammate, Christian McCaffrey, in an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area on “Meet the Rookies.”
Black was a key member of Indiana’s undefeated, national-championship season. Black immediately considered what it could mean for him to have McCaffrey as an influence.
“I’m going to pick his brain as much as I can to become the best player I can be,” Black said.
McCaffrey is one of just three players in NFL history to accomplish a 1,000-1,000 season.
Roger Craig was the first in 1985, as he rushed for 1,050 yards and had 1,016 yards receiving with the 49ers. He will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer. Fourteen years later, Marshall Faulk of the St. Louis Rams did it. He went into the Hall of Fame in 2011.
McCaffrey did it in 2019 with the Carolina Panthers. He finished just 76 receiving yards short...