Isaac Guerendo

The Skinny

Isaac Guerendo is a 6'0", 225 running back. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2024 NFL Draft in the 4th round with the 129th pick.

Guerendo, who's 24th birthday is the summer before the 2024 season, played for the Wisconsin Badgers from 2019-2022 before transferring to the Louisville Cardinals for his final collegiate season.

During his 2023 collegiate season, Guerendo averaged 6.14 yards per carry. He rushed for a total of 810 yards and 11 touchdowns. He had 22 receptions for 234 yards, totalling 1044 yards from scrimmage.

Guerendo also served as Louisville's return man, where he returned 11 kickoff's for 211 yards.

The Exciting

Guerendo enters the league as a large, strong running back. He has strength and size and the ability to hit the burners. He averaged 6.36 yards per carry on run attempts through the A and B gap, implying an ability to punish as well.

Scouts point out that even at his current size and strength, they would like even more violent running habits from Guerendo. Perhaps his ability to run as a bruiser is still yet undiscovered. Due to his size and strength, he should develop into a strong pass protector, which will help him stay on the field. He was adequate at Louisville, but has room to grow.

His PFF score last season as a runner was 88.7, which was tie for 12th in his draft class. His overall offensive score, however, was 87.9, good for ninth. PFF liked how complete of an offensive weapon he was, including as a receiver.

His draft situation is not superb, but it's not as bad as many managers might think. He will not compete for starter snaps so long as Christian McCaffrey is healthy. San Francisco has prioritized McCaffrey's health, and there's no reason to believe that won't continue. Part of the plan to keep McCaffrey healthy is to share snaps. Elijah Mitchell, RB2 in SF last season, had 75 rush attempts in 11 games, or about 7 rushes/game. He also recorded 6 receptions on 8 targets (almost one target/game).

Guerendo comes in as a competitive backup who can push Mitchell for snaps. If he is able to overcome Mitchell as RB2 on the 49ers, he should get a healthy amount of touches per game. With his high upside as a pass catcher, he could be especially valuable in PPR leagues.

The Reality Check

Guerendo was likely brought into San Francisco as a pass-catching back, something Mitchell struggle with last season. However, McCaffrey remains the alpha RB in San Francisco and they won't change for any given amount of time. McCaffrey is a superb pass-catching RB and will still dominate targets. Guerendo, even if he is able to overcome Mitchell on the depth chart, will be a change of pace back.

McCaffrey turns 28 the summer before the 2024 season but likely still has multiple good years ahead of him. Guerendo has potential to be extremely fantasy relevant if McCaffrey misses time, but so long as McCaffrey is healthy, Guerendo will play second fiddle.