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San Francisco 49ers rookie running backIsaac Guerendo did not have the start to his NFL career he hope for. The 6-foot, 221 pounds speedster was injured in the team's very first training camp practice. Guerendo suffered a right hamstring injury and missed most of camp. He was able to return to practice last week, just in time to play in Friday night's preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders.
And Guerendo did not waste any time making his presence known, taking a second quarter kickoff 93-yards, the longest of the 2024 preseason. He didn't score on the return, but likely would have if not for a good angle taken by a Raiders player. If Guerendo has any lingering effects from his hamstring injury, it wasn't evident on Friday night.
When asked about his return after the game, Guerendo said, "After changing direction and all of that stuff, it was probably about 140 yards. It's the first time I've been able to open up a little, so it was exciting. When I got to that 15, I was like, 'My legs are getting a little bit heavy.' I just got to finish that one next time."
But Guerendo also saw time as a running back in Kyle Shanahan's offense. He finished the game with 11 carries for 32 yards. It wasn't as dynamic as his kickoff return, but the 49ers coach liked what he saw.
Shanahan, who spoke with reporters on Sunday, was asked what he thought of the running back's performance. "I thought he did a real good job, especially since it was the first day he had shoulder pads on since the Senior Bowl," Shanahan said. "He got hurt our first day of practice and then the two practices we had before the Raiders week were unpadded practices. So for him to go that long without putting pads on, I really liked how he ran. He tried to break tackles, never eased up on contact, tried to run through it, hit the holes well and had a real good first game."
Guerendo was able to showcase his 4.33 speed on the kick return. The 49ers may not need the rookie running back to be part of the offense this season, but there is a good chance they will want to use him on special teams. And if what he showed on Friday night is any indication, Guerendo may still be able to have a big impact on his new team.
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