2. Israel Abanikanda, Running Back
At the NFL Owners Meetings earlier this month, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that star running back Christian McCaffrey is healthy, which was great to hear after seeing McCaffrey banged up last season.
However, Shanahan also mentioned that the 49ers could be in the market for a running back in the 2025 NFL Draft.
"You always hope to address it every year, Shanahan said (h/t Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area). Of course, we’re set with McCaffrey, but every single year we’ve gone through this except for two years, we’ve gone through four running backs. Most teams do, so you always got to be prepared for that."49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan
Last year, the 49ers took Isaac Guerendo in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He averaged 5.0 yards per carry as a rookie and will likely take Mason’s role as the RB2.
Between Guerendo, Patrick Taylor Jr. (who was re-signed to a one-year deal), and a potential rookie, Israel Abanikanda won’t have an easy road making the 53-man roster.
The former fifth-round pick was claimed off waivers by San Francisco on Dec. 3, 2024, after getting cut by the New York Jets the day prior. Despite San Fran’s injury woes at running back, Abanikanda did not see any playing time during the last month of the season.
The 22-year-old running back had a solid college career at the University of Pittsburgh, capped off by an outstanding junior season in 2022 (1,431 rushing yards and 20 scores on the ground on 239 carries). Abankinda didn’t play much in New York, appearing in six games as a rookie in 2023.