The observation comes near the end of a glowing article on Guerendo’s potential, but it probably is the most realistic outcome for 2024. Although he’s drawn Jonathan Taylor comparisons, Guerendo never handled more than 132 carries during a marathon college career that frequently saw him battle injury, particularly to his hamstrings. Of course, Guerendo’s primary competition for No. 2 duties is Elijah Mitchell, who is maybe the most “injury prone” back in the NFL. Guerendo’s standalone rookie ceiling is change-of-pace work behind Christian McCaffrey, but he can’t completely be ruled out in the battle for No. 2 duties. That’s a valuable place to be in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

The former Louisville running back blew away the combine earlier this year, running a 4.33 40-yard dash at 6'0/221 while also dominating in explosiveness and agility testing. His 9.89 RAS is one of the best in the metric’s history and likely played a role in the 49ers moving up to select him in the fourth round. Guerendo has a limited production profile, rushing for 231-1392-17 over five college seasons. He also caught 42 passes for 358 yards and 1 touchdown. It’s possible he develops into an intriguing handcuff behind Christian McCaffrey for the upcoming season, although several veterans do stand in his way. He’s best viewed as a dynasty stash as he works to carve out a role. In addition to Guerendo, the 49ers also signed CB Rendardo Green and WR Jacob Cowing.

Guerendo (6’/221) spent the bulk of his collegiate career as a backup at Wisconsin, playing behind Jonathan Taylor as a freshman before backing up fellow 2024 draftee Braelon Allen for a few years as well. He transferred to Louisville for a final season, only to play the role of understudy once again, this time to Jawhar Jordan, another 2024 prospect. Guerenedo made the most of his limited reps in 2023, totaling 810 yards and 11 scores on 132 attempts. He added 234 receiving on 22 grabs. Guerendo wasn’t a popular name in draft circles until crushing the combine. At his size, a 4.33-second 40-yard dash is among the best performances in the drill’s history. He also excelled in both the agility and explosion drills en route to a 9.9 RAS. Guerendo was efficient in his final season as both a receiver and a runner, but most of what evaluators will see in him is projection toward a ceiling, which he could hit with backfield whisperer Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers.