Christian McCaffrey is the San Francisco 49ers' unquestioned No. 1 running back heading into 2025.
However, in light of McCaffrey's injury-plagued 2024 campaign, and the Niners' insane injury attrition at the position last season, boasting quality depth behind him is a must.
And the pecking order for that responsibility will heat up a ton when mandatory minicamp kicks off on June 10.
While McCaffrey and second-year pro Isaac Guerendo are players to watch here, two rookies should garner plenty of attention: fifth-round draftee Jordan James and the undrafted Corey Kiner out of Cincinnati.
On paper, it'd seem James would have the edge. He was drafted, after all, even getting the nod from future Hall of Famer Frank Gore during April's draft. Considering the pick used on James stemmed from last March's trade of wide receiver Deebo Samuel, it'd make sense for San Francisco to do everything in its power to maximize the return.
Unless, of course, Kiner has anything to say about it.
Corey Kiner vs. Jordan James is a 49ers minicamp battle to watch
James doesn't fumble. That bodes well in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense. Plus, the former Duck had a history of ripping off rushes of 10-plus yards.
But Kiner, who might not boast the breakaway speed or elusiveness, nevertheless is a chain-moving bruiser, who stands in contrast to the speedier Guerendo and could easily be the prototypical short-yardage change-of-pace back.
Provided Kiner makes the 53-man roster, of course.
There's an argument for that, however. Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski highlighted Kiner as the 49ers' most exciting UDFA to watch this spring, giving Kiner the nod as an overlooked tailback who could emerge under Shanahan as so many have done before.
Case in point, the Niners' leading rusher from a year ago, now-Minnesota Vikings tailback Jordan Mason, similarly rose from the ranks of the undrafted into relevancy.
McCaffrey may get some touches during minicamp, yes. And Guerendo will receive a fairer share, too.
But, there's quite an open-ended competition between the two rookies, James and Kiner, and the No. 3 spot on the depth chart seems to be fully wide open for the taking.
Setting the tone now in light of the pressing need for an adequate third-stringer will go a long way toward training camp.