49ers Use ‘Deebo’ Pick on Projected McCaffrey Replacement

San Francisco 49ers fifth-round selection Jordan James knows a thing or two about speed.

James assumed the starting running back role from the departed Bucky Irving at Oregon last season and topped the Big Ten in rushing yards with 1,267 yards, while scoring 15 touchdowns. 

The season before, James rushed for 759 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns sharing the backfield with Irving, now of the Tampa Buccaneers. He also averaged an FBS-high 7.1 yards per carry. 

The 49ers had a need to find an eventual successor for Christian McCaffrey, and head coach Kyle Shanahan would prefer it be a back who fits their run scheme which is zone based. 

During his video call with reporters following his selection in Round 5 of this NFL Draft (with the pick gained in the Deebo Samuel trade), the running back said there are similarities between the offenses at Oregon and in San Francisco.

"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."

The 49ers traded former backup running back Jordan Mason to the Minnesota Vikings this offseason. They need someone to fill that spot. 

Directors of player personnel Tariq Ahmad, RJ Gillen and director of scouting and football operations, Josh Williams, spoke Saturday evening when the draft was over and shared their opinion on James.

“He’s physical and then in the pass game, I thought at the pro day he showed he could catch the football well,” Williams said. “And he’s good in pass protection as well. A guy that made a lot of sense for what we wanted.” 

Ahmad then chimed in on James.

“We love Jordan James,” Ahmad said. “We loved him before, off [of the] tape. He had more burst and acceleration than what we expected. He’s going to be a great fit for us. He will add a lot of value next year."