San Francisco 49ers’ analyst says offensive star may have ‘gained a step’, and they’re going to need him in 2025

David Lombardi says that Christian McCaffrey has been the most impressive at training camp

The 2024 season was disappointing for McCaffrey, who had been one of the biggest stars in the league in 2023. In his first full season with the 49ers, he recorded a career-high 1,459 rushing yards, with 14 touchdowns on the ground, proving to be the perfect fit for Shanahan’s system.

The star running back added another 564 yards as a receiver, with seven receiving touchdowns.

McCaffrey was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year and earned first-team All-Pro honors for the second time in his career while leading the NFL in rushing yards. The 49ers were considered contenders in 2024, but injuries hit them early, and McCaffrey’s absence was felt.

He totaled just 50 carries on the season, and it was the first year since he was drafted in 2017 that he didn’t record a single touchdown.

In December, McCaffrey wrote an Instagram post sharing his feelings on a tough season:

“This wasn’t my year, and sometimes when it rains, it pours. You can feel sorry for yourself and listen to the birds, or you can hold the line. I’m grateful for the support of everyone in my corner and promise I’ll work smarter and harder than ever to come back better from this. I love my teammates, I love the 9ers, and I love football. God doesn’t miss. Onward.”

He’s now back at it at training camp, hustling to prepare for the 2025 season.

According to 49ers’ journalist David Lombardi, McCaffrey is standing out from the crowd. He told 95.7 The Game:

“”If I had to tell you, out of all 90 guys, who has looked the most impressive on the practice field so far through a week, slam dunk it’s Christian McCaffrey…”

He continued: “I think he might have gained a step…It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s moving just a little bit quicker than he was in that sensational 2023 season…

I can tell you for sure that Christian is extremely motivated and extremely locked in.”

The 49ers are already dealing with injuries on offense, with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk likely to miss a portion of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL.

Second-year receiver Ricky Pearsall is back on the field and will be hoping to take on a much larger role in the 2025 season. He was shot in the chest before his rookie year got started, which meant he didn’t feature until Week 7. He ended the season with 400 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games.

San Francisco is looking for a comeback season with quarterback Brock Purdy locked in

The 49ers agreed to a long-term extension with quarterback Brock Purdy during the offseason, signing him to a five-year, $265 million deal.

The former Mr. Irrelevant is now among the highest-paid quarterbacks in NFL history, and the 49ers will be hoping to maximize his ability as they fight their way back into the postseason conversation.

There’s no denying that a healthy 49ers team can challenge in the NFC, but they will need their guys out on the field to make it happen. Aiyuk, Pearsall, and McCaffrey all missed significant time in 2024, leaving Purdy with limited resources to win games.

San Francisco did add further depth at wide receiver during the offseason, signing Demarcus Robinson in free agency and drafting Jordan Watkins in the fourth round.

The only other question mark they have at the moment is Jauan Jennings, who is currently hoping to sign a reworked contract before he gets to work on the 2025 season.

Jennings had to step up last year, recording a career-high 975 receiving yards and six touchdowns in the absence of other stars on the roster.