49ers Always Believed Raheem Mostert was More Than Special Teamer

From journeyman to high-caliber starter. The 49ers always knew running back Raheem Mostert was a special player.

One of the greatest stories from the 2019 season for the San Francisco 49ers was the emergence of running back Raheem Mostert.

Up until 2016, he had spent his time in the NFL as a journeyman. Almost every season Mostert found himself being cut. It was practically a given for him because he was only viewed as a special teams players. That is why he was able to last in the league for as long as he did because he was stout in that department.

It wasn't until Mostert found his way with the 49ers that some light would start to shine at the end of the tunnel. That light would finally engulf Mostert in 2019 when he started receiving snaps as a rotational running back. It helped that the Niners predominately ran a run by committee backfield and injuries to other players played a factor.

But Mostert would end up pulling away from the pack and show that he is an elite player. Head coach Kyle Shanahan and his staff did not give up on Mostert. Not even when he demonstrated ball security issues early in the season did that detract them from him. 

The 49ers always believed Mostert was more than a special teamer and that paid off dividends for them on their way to a Super Bowl appearance.

“Yeah, well, what a tremendous story of a guy who’s been released numerous times from numerous teams and kept the dream alive." Said General Manager John Lynch at the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday. "Kept himself in the league by being one of the better special teams players in football. I give a lot of credit to our coaching staff for seeing more, and Kyle specifically, for seeing more in Raheem. 

"I think some of the things in the past that kept him from the success that we saw this year, injuries and then ball security. To his credit, and I think with the belief of our coaches with him and sticking with him when he did put the ball on the ground or when he did get injured, we got to see the fruition of that belief this year. Raheem exploded onto the scene. He earned that. We’re very proud of him, very happy for him. He made our team better.”

The 49ers' ground attack was lethal all season long. However, Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman showed to be unreliable due to constantly succumbing to injury. That is where Mostert showed his value and was able to get his opportunity. 

Once he got it, there was no turning back for him. It all started when he ran all over the Baltimore Ravens in week 12 for 146 yards. What made Mostert so effective in the offense was his vision and speed. He knew exactly when to be patient and hit the hole at the right moment. There was also a great deal of balance in his running style as well, which didn't make him an easy take down.

Raheem Mostert's emergence optimized the 49ers' offense. He is the perfect fit for the outside zone run scheme that Kyle Shanahan runs. Luckily for the Niners, he isn't one of the many players that is set to become an unrestricted free agent. 2020 should bring another exciting season for the one time journeyman.