49ers 1st-quarter awards: MVP, least-valuable player, most improved and more

There are plenty of candidates for the Niners' first-quarter MVP, but there are also arguments for the least-valuable player and most-improved player, too.

New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed (L) tackles San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (R) / Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages

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49ers 1st-quarter most-improved player: RB Jordan Mason

Jordan Mason might have just missed out on our team MVP award for the first four weeks, but he's soundly the winner of most improved.

Mason, the former undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech, made it a point to improve his pass-catching skills over the offseason, which helped him solidfy the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Christian McCaffrey.

But McCaffrey's injury absence opened up the door for Mason to become a household name.

To date, Mason has recorded a 100-yard rush game in three of the Niners' first four contests, and he's averaging over 111 yards per game with a quality 4.9 rush-yard average. He has six receptions for 57 yards, too, showing his offseason work is paying off.

Oh, and his 91 carries lead the NFL through Week 4, while his 447 rush yards during that span rank only behind the Baltimore Ravens' Derrick Henry for the NFL lead, more than double what Mason had over all of 2023.

Could anyone have predicted that would be the case? Highly unlikely, cementing Mason as an easy choice as the most-improved San Francisco player.

Honorable mentions: Jauan Jennings

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