49ers Run Game Coordinator Compares Isaac Guerendo to Raheem Mostert

The 49ers are extremely hopeful about rookie running back Isaac Guerendo.

Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo (31) looks on during the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers are extremely hopeful about rookie running back Isaac Guerendo.

He's a bit of a project considering he never started a game in college. But he's the fastest player on the team, and if he puts it all together, he could be extremely dangerous, particularly while Christian McCaffrey is out.

This past week, Guerendo gained 19 yards on five carries against the Rams. Not bad.

Here's what run game coordinator Chris Foerster said this week about Guerendo.

Q: What did you make of RB Isaac Guerendo’s performance?

FOERSTER: “Loved him. Loved him. We had, oh man, if you guys watched the all 22, if you saw the play, 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 and, but it was right about on the 50. That's a good feeling, right on the emblem. He fell backwards 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. He reminds me of another 31 [Miami Dolphins RB 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 playing fast, JP’s playing fast, but he's got a little bit something different from those guys.”

Q: When you say upright, and I realize it worked for Raheem Mostert, but usually you hear or us like, “Oh, upright is not good, you're going to get smashed around in the NFL.” Can that be okay for certain guys?

FOERSTER: “It can be, yeah. I mean, you're going to get hit. 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.”

MY TAKE: In addition to being fast, Mostert also has terrific vision and is extremely decisive. He never hesitates. We'll see if Guerendo has those traits as well.