An Oregon workhorse who averaged nearly six yards a carry in college, drafted by San Francisco as insurance behind Christian McCaffrey.
Jordan James spent his rookie season mostly watching from the sideline, a fifth-round pick buried on a 49ers depth chart stacked with Christian McCaffrey and Isaac Guerendo. When his number finally got called late in the year, he made the most of it, flashing the explosiveness that made him a second-team All-Big Ten back at Oregon.
Path to the league
James played three seasons at Oregon after transferring in, and the San Francisco 49ers selected him with the 147th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, viewing him as a scheme fit for their zone running game.
Career highlights
James rushed for 2,215 yards and 31 touchdowns on 5.74 yards per carry across 38 games at Oregon. His best season came in 2024, when he led the Ducks with 1,267 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, and he ran a 4.55-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
2025 season recap
James was a healthy scratch for the first 14 weeks of his rookie season behind McCaffrey and Guerendo, then was activated for special teams duty over the final three regular-season games. He got extended garbage-time work in San Francisco's NFC divisional round loss to Seattle, rushing six times for 28 yards and catching one pass for seven yards.
Sources
- 49ers.com: 49ers Select RB Jordan James with the No. 147 Pick in the 2025 NFL Draft
- ESPN: Jordan James Career Stats
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Rushing
3 games played▶Rushing · career
| Year | Team | GP | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 49ers | 3 | - | - | - | - | - |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Running Back
- Group
- offense
- College
- Oregon
- Hometown
- Nashville, TN, USA
- Age
- 22
- Status
- active
