Thursday, October 10th, 2024

TFTB: MASON ON COURSE TO RUN DOWN RECORD

Nicholas McGee

TFTB: MASON ON COURSE TO RUN DOWN RECORD

Nicholas McGee NFL

Undrafted entering the NFL in 2022, running back Jordan Mason has had to wait quite a while for his chance to play a leading role for San Francisco, but he has emphatically taken that opportunity in 2024 to fuel the 49ers’ quest to go one better after last season’s defeat in Super Bowl 58, albeit one that hasn’t yet gathered the momentum they hoped.

Mason was thrust into the starting running back role at short notice to open the season, taking over after reigning Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey was ruled out with calf and Achilles injuries. He subsequently enjoyed a dazzling first start under the Levi’s Stadium lights on Monday Night Football, running for 147 yards and a touchdown. 

That performance started a run of three 100-yard efforts in the opening four games. Mason missed out on the opportunity to become the first 49er running back to record four such efforts in a season’s initial five games as he fumbled late in San Francisco’s shock Week 5 defeat to the Arizona Cardinals, but his tally of 536 yards stands as the most in franchise history across the opening quintet, leaving Mason needing just 74 yards against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6 to beat Charlie Garner’s benchmark of 609, set in the 2000 season, for the most across the opening six games.

The opportunity to make that piece of history looked unlikely to come his way when he sat through the draft without hearing his name called in 2022 following a college career spent at Georgia Tech. Making an impression at the highest level is often a tall order even for players who experience the joy of being drafted, but the difficulty level is substantially higher for those who go the entire seven rounds without receiving a call from a team.

The ‘phone does start ringing a lot towards the end of the draft as franchises jockey to sign the top undrafted prospects, but that flurry of activity and the level of demand undrafted free agents suddenly experience is rarely an indicator of future opportunities to impress or succeed in the NFL. However, as teammate Jake Tonges — who went undrafted in 2022 but made the 49ers’ 53-man roster this season after spending last year on the practice squad — explained, the emotions of not being selected serve as substantial motivation for unselected players.

I think it plays a big role in motivating yourself to never take a day off,” he said, speaking exclusively to Gridiron. “You take everything as seriously as possible, take every rep as seriously as possible. Because [for undrafted players], reps are few and far between, so you have to make the most of the ones you get. If you do that the right way, it carries over into your second, third, fourth year. [Going undrafted] definitely lights a fire under you.”

Undrafted linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles concurred: “When you’re undrafted, you have a chip on your shoulder. People are overlooking you, so you always want to have that fire in your belly every single year.”

Overshadowed at Georgia Tech by Jahmyr Gibbs, a future first-round pick of the Detroit Lions, Mason has made the most of every small chance that has come his way, using a decisive downhill running style that fits the 49ers offense to a tee to earn the faith of head coach Kyle Shanahan. Mason was a clear standout in preseason as a rookie in 2022, his performances in the exhibition schedule helping him earn a place on the 53-man roster, yet he did not see anything resembling significant regular season action until the final six weeks, his first career touchdown coming in the New Year’s Day win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Despite saying hello to 2023 in style in Vegas, Mason’s subsequent campaign was spent predominantly watching McCaffrey run wild as the 49ers’ star tailback held up under a tremendous workload. But Mason made the most of the 40 carries he did earn in 2023 as the 49ers went all the way to the Super Bowl, averaging 5.1 yards per rush and scoring three touchdowns. The difference that had set him up to take a step forward this year even before McCaffrey’s injury was the very deliberate way in which he prepared for the campaign.

Inspired by McCaffrey’s abilities as the best all-around running back in the NFL, Mason spent $3,000 on a jugs machine in the offseason in an effort to boost his hopes of getting on the field more often by improving his play as a pass-catcher. On top of that, he worked out with the 49ers’ linebackers who are, among many other duties, tasked with tackling running backs and attacking them as additional pass rushers in the offseason. Mason had a 38-yard receiving touchdown chalked off by a dubious penalty in the Week 4 win over the New England Patriots, while five of his seven receptions so far this year have gone for a first down. In protection, he has given up just one quarterback pressure in 17 pass blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Those strides, combined with the punishing running ability that helped keep him on the roster, have seen Mason go from intriguing third-stringer to one of the focal points of an attack widely regarded as the most talented in football. Climbing the ladder after entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent is a difficult journey, but it’s one Mason hasn’t walked alone. Indeed, the 49ers under Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have developed a habit of unearthing undrafted gems. Two more are starting this year in Flannigan-Fowles and center Jake Brendel.

You’re not given any benefit of the doubt, right? You’ve got to earn every single thing,” Brendel told Gridiron, again exclusively, as he explained the challenge of trying to make the grade as an undrafted player. “You’ve got to make sure you’re on it from day one because there are no redshirt years like in college.”

Brendel plays a critical role in opening running lanes for Mason and, while his success has taken the league by surprise, it wasn’t anything unexpected by those in the 49ers locker room, which has had a first-hand look at the coaching Mason has received and the manner in which he has taken to it.

I think it really just comes down to the system and the coaching that we receive. I think we have the best coaches in football here,” Brendel added. “By listening to the coaches, listening to the critiques, and trusting his instincts as a runner, I think [Mason] is really becoming the best running back he can be.

It’s always a good come-from-behind story whenever you see a guy that was undrafted have so much success. But I mean, even back when he was a rookie, we all saw that he had great potential. We all saw that he could get it done at a high level. So I don’t think the team’s surprised at all about his performance. I think he has nothing but upside from here on.”

Brendel has no doubt Mason will continue to make strides, and what is also clear is that he and the fellow undrafted players on the roster will take great pride if he does make history this weekend.

It means everything, man,” Flannigan-Fowles said. “You can see Jordan’s growth each and every single year. We always knew what kind of player he was, so for him to ball out and get his recognition now, it means a lot.”

As for Mason, he was economical with his words when asked to reflect on his journey, but it’s clear he believes there’s a lesson for all players that can be taken from his success.

How has the process been? Long, but really not long,” he concluded, succinctly. “Just stay patient and the time will come.”

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