Who is Jordan Mason? All about 49ers RB replacing Christian McCaffrey

Jordan Mason is not someone fans of both the NFL and the San Francisco 49ers may know. Having been overlooked in favor of the litany of stars on the team, he has mostly been anonymous in his two full seasons in the league so far.

That all changed, however, on Monday. Christian McCaffrey, one of said stars, was shockingly ruled out of the 49ers' 2024 season opener against the New York Jets with a leg injury. Mason was plugged into the starting RB spot and has since impressed, scoring a touchdown in the third quarter.

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Who is 49ers RB Jordan Mason?

When Jordan Mason joined the 2022 Draft, he had low expectations. That class was not exactly rich in generational talent, but in hindsight it did contain some potential cornerstones - especially at running back (James Cook and Kyren Williams, both of whom have since become Pro Bowlers, as well as two-time Super Bowl champion Isiah Pacheco, Tyler Allgeier, Breece Hall, and Kenneth Waker III).

He went undrafted, but joined 49ers as a free agent. Sitting low in the depth chart, he first had his big moment towards the end of the season, when he clinched the NFC West title for the 49ers with a 56-yard rush agaisnt the Seattle Seahawks. Two weeks later, he scored his first touchdown.

Mason completed that season with 43 carries for 258 yards and that one touchdown. As a sophomore, he played all 17 games, all from the bench, and had 40 carries for 206 yards and three touchdowns.

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Jordan Mason college career

Both in Gallatin in northern Tennessee, he committed to the same school as Detroit Lions' all-time great wide receiver Calvin Johnson: Georgia Tech. But unlike the future Hall of Famer, he had a rather modest career.

After redshirting as a freshman in 2017, Mason finally debuted the folowing season and performed strongly, carrying the ball 108 times for 659 yards and seven touchdowns. He peaked as a sophomore in 2019 with 172 for 899 and seven.

His final two years saw a regression, managing just a combined 169 for 791 and three. However, Mason also saw his best receiving numbers during that span - 18 receptions for 152 yards and a touchdown combined.