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UDFA RB Cody Schrader is the 49ers' Top Rookie in Training Camp

He's a perfect in the 49ers outside zone blocking scheme. Look for him to have a monster preseason and make the 53-man roster.

Grant Cohn

Mar 2, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Missouri running back Cody Schrader (RB22) during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 2, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Missouri running back Cody Schrader (RB22) during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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Through the first week of training camp, the 49ers rookie class has been decidedly underwhelming with the exception of undrafted free agent running back Cody Schrader.

He has been the most consistent rookie on the team. He makes big plays as a runner and as a receiver every day. He seems like a veteran, not a rookie.

Compare him to the 49ers' draft picks. Ricky Pearsall missed the first four practices with a hamstring injury and hasn't asserted himself yet. Renardo Green is solid but hasn't made any big plays. Dominick Puni is starting at right guard by default because Spencer Burford and Jon Feliciano are injured but probably won't start when Feliciano returns. Malik Mustapha has made a couple nice plays in coverage. Isaac Guerendo and Jacob Cowing both are out with hamstring injuries. Jarrett Kingston is playing out of position at right tackle and getting whipped. And Tatum Bethune looks like he's at least a year away from contributing at linebacker.

And then there's Schrader, who looks like he could play running back for the 49ers Week 1 if they need him to. He has huge, powerful legs. He's 5'8", so he has a low center of gravity. He has excellent vision. He's decisive and he's a downhill runner. He doesn't dance in the backfield or constantly bounce runs to the outside. He makes one cut and goes. That's a big reason he rushed for 1,627 yards and 14 touchdowns in just 13 games last year at Missouri.

Which means he's a perfect in the 49ers outside zone blocking scheme. Look for him to have a monster preseason and make the 53-man roster.

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Grant Cohn

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.

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