Isaac Guerendo only has six career NFL carries, but the rookie running back is making a strong impression on his 49ers coaches despite a limited sample size.
While speaking to reporters Thursday, offensive line coach/run-game coordinator Chris Foerster praised Guerendo's Week 3 performance, while comparing him to a former successful San Francisco tailback.
“Loved him. Loved him," Foerster said of Guerendo's showing against the Los Angeles Rams. "We had, oh man, if you guys watched the All 22, if you saw the play, [49ers guard Aaron] Banks went up to get a linebacker and kind of didn't go right at him, he kind of slipped and fell on his butt, but it was right about on the 50. That's a good feeling, right on the emblem. He fell backward and missed the linebacker on that play. If he'd have got on that guy, there was a crease that he -- I would've loved to see if he would've hit it. If he just could have, I thought he might have split the safety.
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"He reminds me of another 31 [now-Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert] we had here in his running style. He's got that upright, good-speed running style. And I'm not putting him in that category yet, but he really does. I want to see him get a chance to get -- we just haven't gotten him the space yet. I like him. He's got a ways to go, obviously. He's got a lot of developing to do.
"And that position is a hard, tough position. But he's nothing but a positive upside. He really looks to be that, I won't say change of pace. Shoot, he could be your lead dog, but he's got that little, that extra gear we've been looking for in a change between, Christian's [McCaffrey] playing fast, JP’s [Mason] playing fast, but he's got a little bit something different from those guys.”
Mostert averaged an eye-popping 5.7 yards per carry during six seasons with the 49ers, including an unforgettable performance in the 2019 NFC Championship Game.
Foerster further explained while running upright is rare in the NFL, Guerendo possesses the ability to maximize the top-end speed that comes with the unorthodox style that also has allowed Mostert to excel during his time in the league.
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“It can be, yeah. I mean, you're going to get hit," Foerster said. "You've seen Raheem. I might say the name 31 was Raheem, right? Raheem was the track guy. He's an upright runner. You saw it, right? He'd run, and he'd be gone. He's learned to play with pad level when he needed to. But it does -- you play with the lower center of gravity, you play lower to the ground, you're not going to be as fast. That's why sprinters don't run hunched over. These guys are sprinters. They're straight upright, and they're running their butt off. And so that's Isaac. I really like the way he runs, and he's learning to get his pads down, so it's not always great, but it hasn't slowed him down yet.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan echoed Foerster's praise of Guerendo while speaking to the media Friday.
“He showed on film what he has been showing us," Shanahan told reporters Friday. "We've been encouraged about him for a while. He got off to a late start with his training camp injury, but we were encouraged with his preseason play. Everyone, I think, saw that with his kick return and stuff. He had two runs in that game that were encouraging and always a chance to get more.”
San Francisco traded up to select Guerendo No. 129 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, banking on the incredible physical gifts that include a 4.33 40-yard dash time.
With Christian McCaffrey's extended absence having no definitive end in sight, Guerendo could be counted on to handle a heavier load as the 2024 season progresses -- a proposition Shanahan and Foerster seem beyond comfortable with.
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