How Jordan Mason has carved a role with 49ers as “closer” behind Christian McCaffrey

Running backs have always been the San Francisco 49ers’ forte since head coach Kyle Shanahan arrived in Santa Clara, with the team showcasing an ability to develop talent at the position on a consistent basis.

The most recent case has been running back Jordan Mason, who was an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Mason, who came into the offseason as the sixth running back on the depth chart, beat out 2021 third-round selection Trey Sermon for a roster spot, and currently is the 49ers’ second-string running back, despite his lack of experience.

In fact, Mason has made such an impression on his teammates in a short period of time that veteran running back Christian McCaffrey calls his counterpart “Mariano Rivera”, due to his ability to close games with his powerful rushing style.

The rookie running back has been a pleasant surprise for the 49ers, rushing for 217 yards on 6.6 yards per carry thus far.

However, the 49ers haven’t reaped the benefits of Mason’s success until recently, as the Georgia Tech product earned only one carry over the first 10 weeks of the 2022 season, despite being active in every single game except for one.

Prior to the trade for Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco was struggling in the running game, especially after the injury to Trey Lance.

After Jimmy Garoppolo entered the fold, the 49ers ranked 29th in rushing expected points added per play(EPA/play), while rushing for an inefficient 3.87 yards per carry.

The 49ers showcased a one-dimensional rushing attack with Jeff Wilson Jr. as the bell-cow back, which significantly limited their offense and led to their struggles over the first seven weeks, hence their 3-4 record.

Despite the inefficiencies, Mason didn’t see the field, which could’ve potentially spiced up the 49ers offense by adding another element with the rookie’s power in addition to his vision.

Make no mistake, the 5’11, 225-pound back wasn’t a late bloomer.

During training camp, Mason shined whenever he received opportunities and arguably was San Francisco’s strongest back behind Elijah Mitchell in terms of consistency, showcasing that he could work within the NFL game.

While it came later than expected, the rookie finally started earning carries after Elijah Mitchell’s second MCL sprain, rushing four times in San Francisco’s 38-10 blowout over the Arizona Cardinals.

Since then, Mason has seen at least four carries per game, with his 11-carry, 56-yard game against the Buccaneers serving as his best NFL game to date.

Still, the 49ers have sparingly deployed him, especially in early-game situations, although Kyle Shanahan believes it is more due to the abilities of Christian McCaffrey rather than game flow.

“We can give him more carries earlier in the game,” Shanahan said following the 49ers’ 21-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks. We’ve mixed him in for a few in the weeks before. It was just tough in this game with how much we like Christian in the pass game also and just the threat that he is on the field, but no, his time will come. We usually use everybody.”

With Mitchell out likely until the playoffs, Mason will be an integral piece of the 49ers running back as a complementary piece behind Christian McCaffrey for the remainder of the season, where he can continue to be the “closer” with his physical rushing style that can wear down opponents at the end of games.

To preserve Christian McCaffrey’s wear-and-tear as the season regresses, Mason could be in line for a more significant role, which he has deserved with his performance thus far.