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Another 49ers Undrafted Rookie Running Back looks Good in Camp

The 49ers seem to have a never-ending supply.
Grant Cohn|
Jun 10, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Corey Kiner (49) runs a play from scrimmage during an OTA at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Jun 10, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Corey Kiner (49) runs a play from scrimmage during an OTA at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

An undrafted rookie running back is playing well in training camp and looks like he just might make the 49ers' 53-man roster. This happened in 2017 with Matt Breida, in 2018 with Jeff Wilson Jr., and again in 2022 with Jordan Mason.

Now, it's happening with Corey Kiner.

Undrafted rookie running back Corey Kiner has a real chance to make the team

Kiner rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of the past two seasons at the University of Cincinnati. Then, he was invited to the Combine this offseason because there was a chance he might get drafted, which ultimately didn't happen.

Still, through rookie minicamp, OTAs, minicamp and four days of training camp, Kiner has been every bit as impressive as rookie fifth-round pick Jordan James.

Both James and Kiner are compact, low-to-the-ground running backs who can jump cut and make tacklers miss. Plus, they're good receivers.

Kiner in particular made an incredible catch on Sunday. He was running downfield one-on-one against Robert Beal Jr., and made a sprawling, 30-yard catch you wouldn't expect a running back to make.

San Francisco 49ers running back Corey Kiner (49) runs a play during the first day of training camp at SAP Performance Facili
Jul 23, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Corey Kiner (49) runs a play during the first day of training camp at SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Kiner is competing with veteran Patrick Taylor Jr. to be the fourth running back on the 53-man roster. Ideally, the 49ers probably like to sneak Kiner onto the practice squad so they can keep both him and Taylor Jr. But if Kiner plays as well in the preseason as he has in practice, then he won't clear waivers if the 49ers cut him, and they'll have no choice but to keep him on their roster.

Sounds like a good problem to have.

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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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