Jalen Hurd likely had no idea he was talking to his future head coach when he first met Kyle Shanahan at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. this past January. Hurd had just wrapped up his final season at Baylor, and was an intriguing prospect who had transitioned from running back to wide receiver during his college career.
In the premiere episode of “Brick by Brick” -- a documentary-style series following the 49ers training camp -- the cameras showed Shanahan mic'd up for one of those initial conversations, in which Shanahan speaks about how much he enjoys his situation in San Francisco.
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Matt Maiocco chronicled the first episode after it aired, breaking down how that initial conversation turned into Hurd becoming a member of John Lynch's third draft class.
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Hurd has caught a pair of touchdown passes this preseason, and will likely be a versatile weapon for Shanahan’s offense in 2019.
As the roster deadline day looms less than 24 hours away, having a player who has a plethora of experience both in the backfield and on the outside could be immensely valuable in an NFL where teams are always looking for creative ways to attack defenses.