The San Francisco 49ers' decision to trade up in the fourth round for a running back, albeit the fastest one in the 2024 draft, attracted eye rolls in some corners because, in the Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch era, such moves have literally never worked.
Similar moves up the board for Joe Williams (2017) and Trey Sermon (2021) failed spectacularly, while Tyrion Davis-Price is no longer with the team after the 49ers took him much earlier than expected in the third round in 2022.
So the case can be made there was something of a grim inevitability about Isaac Guerendo suffering a hamstring injury in training camp.
On Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed the extent of that injury.
Guerendo was not the only 49ers' fourth-round pick to strain his hamstring, with wide receiver Jacob Cowing doing the same having endured injury issues during the offseason workout program.
Neither player right now looks to be in a great spot to make an impact in year one, but it is Guerendo who faces the long wait to get back onto the field.
“I think those were grade ones, I think. No, Isaac was worse," Shanahan said when asked about their injuries.
"That’s going to be a few weeks. Jake is in a similar boat as [WR] Tay [Martin]. I think it was a 10 day guess, whenever that started. So hopefully sometime next week."
Guerendo has been unfortunate, but the former Wisconsin and Louisville back suffering an injury is in keeping with how his career has gone to this point. His 2019 and 2020 seasons at Wisconsin were impacted by hamstring issues and he also suffered a Lisfranc injury in 2021.
That he has again sustained a hamstring injury is not necessarily a harbinger of an unsuccessful spell with 49ers, but this early setback serves as a reminder of the risk San Francisco took in moving up for a player whose lack of tread on the tires coming out of college was in part a product of durability problems.
Guerendo's time on the sideline will present more opportunities to undrafted free agent rookie Cody Schrader , who led the SEC in rushing at Missouri last season and is a strong fit for the 49ers zone-based running game.
In each of the years they have whiffed on running backs, the 49ers have gotten contributions from undrafted or late-round players at the position.
San Francisco signed Matt Breida as a UDFA in 2017. Breida, unlike Williams, made the roster and played three seasons for San Francisco. The 2021 season saw Elijah Mitchell lead the 49ers in rushing despite being taken three rounds later than Sermon, and Jordan Mason comfortably outperformed Davis-Price in 2022 after joining as a UDFA.
There's no guarantee Schrader, if he makes the team, will have a better year than Guerendo, but right now the wind appears to be blowing in that direction. Time will tell if the curse of the running back trade will continue for the 49ers, but the omens at this moment don't look good.
Related: Kyle Shanahan's comments speak volumes about Drake Jackson's standing with the 49ers heading into year three
Most Popular
Comments / 0