RAHEEM MOSTERT: 49ers shouldn't pay up for RB
I'm not mad at San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert for requesting a trade this week after the team didn't oblige when he asked for a raise, but I understand why his request for higher compensation is falling on deaf ears. Despite his success as the team's leading rusher (722 rushing yards) in 2019 and his impressive play in the postseason, including a record-breaking performance in the NFC Championship Game, I believe the sixth-year veteran is the product of a Kyle Shanahan system that can make many runners look like All-Pros.
I respect Mostert's talents as a tough, hard-nosed, downhill runner, but I have to point out that we've seen a number of pedestrian runners (SEE: Alfred Morris and Steve Slaton) also produce at an exceptional level as RB1s in this scheme, which is designed to help straight-line runners with no-nonsense running styles succeed.
When I discussed the Shanahan offense with my NFL Network colleague and Pro Football of Fame running back Terrell Davis on an episode of the Move The Sticks podcast last summer, he mentioned that the system is designed to get you three or four yards per run. However, Davis -- who became a three-time All-Pro playing for Kyle's dad, Mike, in Denver -- pointed out that the special backs are able to turn those short runs into big gains in the open field.
Studying Mostert's game, I don't see a special runner with A+ skills. Although he averaged 5.6 yards per carry for the 49ers in 2019 (ranking second in the league to Lamar Jackson's 6.9), he certainly benefits from the synchronization of the offensive line and tight ends in a scheme that places a premium on covering up defenders at the point of attack. The zone-based scheme is designed to get a "hat on a hat" at the line of scrimmage with blockers instructed to take defenders where they want to go to create creases for the runners. If the running back stays on his assigned tracks without dancing or making unnecessary cuts, he is virtually guaranteed to pick up positive yards with a disciplined approach.
Mostert adheres to the principles as a straight-line runner with an attack-the-line-of-scrimmage approach. He has a knack for finding gaps and creases on off-tackle runs and his decisiveness leads to big plays when the front line takes care of business.
That said, Mostert has never effectively carried the load as a clear-cut RB1 over a full season. He has one career 100-yard regular-season game on his resume while suiting up for five different teams. Sure, he had an outstanding performance in the playoffs against the Green Bay Packers, but teams should not pay a premium for a potential one-game wonder, particularly one who's 28 years old and entering the second year of a three-year, $8.7 million extension he signed in 2019.
Mostert might believe he deserves a raise based on his expected ascension up the depth chart heading into the 2020 season, but the 49ers should hold firm and make the running back prove his value before adding some money to his deal or trading him away, barring an offer they can't refuse from another team.
