The San Francisco 49ers showed how highly they think of Isaac Guerendo's potential when they traded two fifth-round picks to move up in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft to select him.

Guerendo won't necessarily be under huge pressure to repay that faith in his rookie season, though the 49ers need somebody to take some of the rushing workload off the shoulders of Christian McCaffrey. 

But his running backs coach Bobby Turner set expectations for what Guerendo could become extremely high when he compared him a former 49ers star.

A former track athlete, Guerendo's standout trait is his speed, which saw him blaze down the 40-yard dash track at the Scouting Combine in 4.33 seconds.

Lightly used by Wisconsin during his career with the Badgers, Guerendo transferred to Louisville for his final college season and averaged 6.1 yards per carry for the Cardinal while scoring 11 touchdowns.

The little tread on his tires will be regarded as a benefit with Guerendo avoiding the same physical toll as most backs typically withstand in college.

But it also means he remains quite a raw prospect who may take some time before he harnesses the upside he possesses at the highest level.

The 49ers have had some very positive experiences with a former track star who came into the league raw as a running back. Raheem Mostert played only one college season at Purdue at tailback having spent his previous three campaigns as a wide receiver.

Mostert was undrafted and had spells with six different teams before signing with the 49ers in 2016, and it wasn't until 2019 that he burst onto the scene, breaking out spectacularly with 952 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns before making history with a franchise record 220 rushing yards and four touchdowns (second all-time in a postseason game) in San Francisco's NFC Championship Game rout of the Green Bay Packers.

Though he has since moved on, Mostert remains one of the better backs in the league and tied 49ers star McCaffrey for the league lead in touchdowns with 21 for the Miami Dolphins last season.

A comparison with Mostert could therefore be seen as a lofty one for Guerendo, but Turner can't deny the similarities.

“They’re very close,” Turner, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic, said of Guerendo and Mostert. “Raheem was just a blink faster.”

The Niners haven't had a lot of luck with running backs they've drafted high over the years, with third-rounders Trey Sermon and Tyrion Davis-Price failing to make the grade and fourth-rounder Joe Williams never playing a snap for San Francisco.

And Turner knows that, as was the case with Mostert, it may take a while for it to click for Guerendo.

“Just like we had to do with Raheem, we’ve got to get (Guerendo) to see what we want,” Turner added. “Get him to know what we want. And then he’ll get a feel for it and the light comes on. And, bam, the rest is a win for us."

With McCaffrey the undisputed workhorse of a backfield that has plenty of depth, the 49ers, even in another 'Super Bowl or bust' season, can be patient with Guerendo. The hope will be that the fastest back in the draft puts it all together with the kind of speed that means the Niners don't have to play much of a waiting game.

Madden NFL 25 trailer features cover star Christian McCaffrey doing what he does best for 49ers

It’s an accurate reflection of his career with the team.