Maurice Jones-Drew Says the 49ers Should Trade for Raheem Mostert

The NFL trade deadline falls on Nov. 5 this season and the 49ers could be buyers.

Grant Cohn | Oct 16, 2024

Aug 17, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert (31) runs for a first down against the Washington Commanders during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

The NFL trade deadline falls on Nov. 5 this season and the 49ers could be buyers.

They're not nearly as deep as they were the past few years. They're older and they've had tons of injury issues this season, particularly to reigning Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey who is on Injured Reserve with bilateral Achilles tendonitis.

That's why NFL.com analyst and former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew thinks the 49ers should trade for multiple running backs: Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr.

"If Kyle Shanahan is great at one thing, it's getting the utmost production from his backfield," writes Drew. "Jordan Mason has been the most recent example of that success -- following in the footsteps of guys like Raheem Mostert, Elijah Mitchell, Jeff Wilson and Matt Breida, among others. Stepping into the RB1 role with Christian McCaffrey significantly hampered by Achilles issues and Mitchell out for the season, Mason ranks second in the NFL with 609 rushing yards, behind only Derrick Henry (704). Last week, Mason sustained a shoulder injury that sidelined him. On the positive side, the issue appears minor. However, with no guarantee that the reigning Offensive Player of the Year takes a snap this season and Mason's recent scare, Shanahan could look to replenish his backfield.

"Enter some old friends who left the Bay Area a couple years ago, joining former 49ers coach Mike McDaniel in South Beach. Mostert and Wilson are solid veteran options who would add some quality depth to this 49ers attack. Plus, the Dolphins have a pair of young running backs in tow: second-year stud De'Von Achane and budding rookie Jaylen Wright. And if we're being honest here -- which I always am -- Miami's season hinges solely on Tua Tagovailoa's health, not its deep group of offensive skill players. Getting something in return for Mostert or Wilson, who both produced under Shanahan's watch in San Francisco, makes sense."

As Jones-Drew mentioned, both Mostert and Wilson Jr. used to play for Shanahan on the 49ers, so they know and fit the system. And they certainly would improve the 49ers' offense. But Shanahan currently thinks he has the next Mostert in Isaac Guerendo.

Still, if Guerendo struggles and Jordan Mason is injured and McCaffrey doesn't return soon, I wouldn't be surprised if the 49ers traded for Mostert in particular. He'd be deadly on the 49ers.

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Published Oct 16, 2024

GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.