Did the 49ers almost disclose their intentions before selecting Isaac Guerendo in the draft?
NFL insiders are inundated with a wealth of information regarding team preferences in the lead-up to the NFL Draft, making it difficult to separate truth from deception, or what’s commonly referred to as “smoke screens.” A couple of weeks prior to the draft, Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda revealed an interesting piece of information about a running back from Louisville—indicating that the San Francisco 49ers weren’t just intrigued, but highly interested.
Pauline took to social media to relay what he had been hearing: the 49ers had assigned a third-round grade to Isaac Guerendo and were contemplating selecting him if he remained available at the close of the second day of the draft. However, shortly after Pauline’s social media post surfaced, it mysteriously vanished.
Initially, amidst the flurry of pre-draft speculation, the removal of the post went relatively unnoticed. However, it resurfaced in memory when the 49ers ultimately drafted Guerendo in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Did Pauline stumble upon a significant insight? Did he inadvertently disclose the intentions of the Bay Area team? And what prompted the retraction of his post? Could it have been at the behest of someone else?
After being selected, Guerendo spoke with reporters over Zoom, mentioning that the 49ers had been consistently “on the radar,” with ongoing communication between the team and his agent, Joe Linta.
Reflecting on his draft expectations, Guerendo stated, “It’s very unpredictable. So the range was three to five, so I expected to be in that range. I didn’t know who was going to go before me or how many running backs it was, but I think mentally, I was prepared for whatever. So obviously, excited to finally get picked. It is definitely a dream come true, but now I’m definitely excited to get to work.”
During the evaluation process, Guerendo stayed in touch with 49ers running backs coach Bobby Turner, who is known for his frequent outreach to prospects. In fact, Turner called Guerendo while he was in the middle of speaking to reporters via Zoom after being drafted.
“Hopefully, he doesn’t get upset. I’ll have to get back to him in a little bit,” Guerendo joked.
Guerendo is enthusiastic about learning from his new coaches and teammates. When asked about Turner’s expectations for his running backs to grasp not only their assignments but also those of all 11 offensive players on the field, Guerendo expressed readiness for the responsibility as a young running back.
“Yes, a hundred percent,” Guerendo affirmed. “I think in this last season, that’s definitely something that I was working to improve on. I think that’s just something that also is going to just give you a step ahead and I think it’s going to help you to play fast.
“For instance, for me, if you don’t have to think about it, you’re able to play a lot faster. So obviously it’s important that you learn that. And I’m excited to get to work with him.”
Guerendo brings additional speed to the running back room. His impressive 4.33-second 40-time at the NFL Scouting Combine was the fastest among running backs and tied for the third fastest overall among the then-draft hopefuls.
“I love his speed,” head coach Kyle Shanahan remarked to reporters. “We think he’s got a lot of speed. All our backs can run, but it’s nice to add one who possibly can run a little bit faster just for the change of pace and things like that. We like his running style. His running style, I think, is similar to Elijah’s (Mitchell) and the style that he runs with. And he’s built that way, and like the 40 that he has.”
