SANTA CLARA — With the No. 147 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the 49ers selected a running back who had Frank Gore’s blessing.
Per a social media post from CEO and Owner Jed York, Oregon’s Jordan James received Gore’s approval.
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SIGN UP HERE “That means a lot,” James said via video. “Just the caliber of player he was. That’s a Hall of Fame running back right there and just to get a compliment from him on my game, that means a lot. He is actually good friends with my old running back coach. So, he knows about me. He kept in touch with me, things like that.”
Ohio State University running backs coach Carlos Locklyn tipped off the 49ers alum about the prospect, who also had quite a bit of contact with 49ers running backs coach Bobby Turner.
“Just be yourself,” James recalled of Turner’s advice. “He said it a lot on Zoom, just be myself. There’s no right or wrong answers to any questions that he was asking me, just trying to see the type of person I was.”
The 49ers have a history of developing running backs into successful ball carriers, and James might already be a step ahead. The former Duck already has a history of being able to get into the end zone with 31 career rushing touchdowns while at Oregon, tying him for the fifth most in school history.
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James believes he will be able to assimilate quickly into the San Francisco system while learning from Turner, as well as one of the best in the game in Christian McCaffrey.
“He’s one of the great running backs right now,” James said. “He’s one of the best in the league right now. It’s honestly going to be an honor to go in and learn from him, learn from a great running back like that.
“I think they have a great outside zone run scheme that I’m pretty good at. I did a lot at Oregon, so I think I’ll fit pretty well into their scheme and into their offense in general.”
James will get reps behind McCaffrey and Isaac Guerendo, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.