After sustaining a right hamstring injury toward the end of the 49ers’ first training camp practice, running back Isaac Guerendo was not afforded many opportunities to showcase his 4.33-second speed this summer.
He made up for it Friday night in the 49ers’ preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
Guerendo supplied one of the night's highlights when he blasted through an opening and broke a couple of tackles on his way to a 93-yard kickoff return in the second quarter.
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His return started at the left sideline and he angled his way across the field before he was taken down at the 4-yard line near the right sideline.
“After changing direction and all of that stuff, it was probably about 140 yards,” Guerendo said following the 24-24 tie.
“It’s the first time I’ve been able to open up a little, so it was exciting. When I got to that 15, I was like, ‘My legs are getting a little bit heavy.’ I just got to finish that one next time.”
Guerendo appears to be a good fit for the NFL’s new kickoff rule with his combination of speed and power. He was the fastest running back at the NFL Scouting Combine. He is listed at 6-foot, 221 pounds.
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“It was my first time being part of that new dynamic with the new kickoff/kickoff return rule,” he said. “It’s exciting. There is a lot of room for big plays.”
But Guerendo’s sprint down the field — the longest kick return during the NFL preseason — might be cited as Exhibit A for teams to decide to boot kickoffs through the end zone and give up the starting spot of the 30-yard line.
“We think about it a lot, but there are so many different things that you could do and there are so many different ways to attack it,” he said. “You couldn’t possibly think of all the options. We have our plan in place and try to follow that as best we can.”
When asked if the 49ers’ plan was executed as it was drawn up on his long return, Guerendo cracked, “Probably not.”
He added, “We had a plan but if a guy jumps out of his gap, a seam opens up, and you try to hit them.”
Guerendo’s only college start came in the 41st and final game of his career, which included five years at Wisconsin and one at Louisville. He missed considerable time at Wisconsin in three different seasons due to hamstring and foot injuries.
Those experiences helped Guerendo cope with the disappointment of missing the bulk of training camp and the first two exhibition games with his injury on the first day of practice this summer, he said.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating,” Guerendo said. “But it’s nothing I haven’t been through before. I just told myself to control what I can control and take it one day at a time and when the opportunity comes, try to take advantage of it.”
Guerendo had a busy, albeit not particularly productive night on offense. He played 28 snaps and gained 32 yards on 11 rushing attempts while catching two passes for 3 yards.