Jordan Mason Receives Rave Review from 49ers Coach

Last season, the 49ers coaches didn't trust Jordan Mason.

He was an undrafted rookie running back and he ran well during the preseason -- he surprisingly earned a spot on the 53-man roster. But the coaches buried him on the depth chart most of the season. Questioned how well he knew the offensive system and if he was ready for the big stage.

Eventually, the 49ers' made him their "closer" -- the running back who finishes games when the 49ers are comfortably ahead. That's because he's big and powerful, and he can't lose the game if it's late and the 49ers are winning by multiple scores.

Despite the 49ers' lack of confidence in Mason, he averaged 6.0 yards per carry last season. He showed big-time potential. And now, he's the 49ers' No. 2 running back behind Christian McCaffrey. And last week, the 49ers gave Mason 10 carries, and he gained 69 yards and scored a touchdown.

Clearly, Mason has improved.

"Greatly," said 49ers run game coordinator Chris Foerster. "He really has. Have you noticed it? Do you see it? He’s always been physical and a hard running guy, but it’s just as always with this offense, we’ve talked about it with Christian McCaffrey. We’ve talked about learning how to press the hole and do all the things that we ask a running back to do in the running game. He just keeps getting better and better and better at it. And gosh, he’s a serious minded, hardworking guy. It’s very important to him to do it right. And he just continues to improve."

Mason is averaging 5.6 yards per carry this season -- more than McCaffrey, who's averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Expect the 49ers to steadily increase Mason's workload so McCaffrey can pace himself.