49ers news: Should the Niners use RB Jordan Mason more as a receiver?

The San Francisco 49ers have found another undrafted free agent running back gem in Jordan Mason, who finally got his chance this year due to star Christian McCaffrey's Achilles tendon injury and has made the most of it.

Mason currently leads the NFL in rushing attempts (91), is second in rushing yards (447) and has the second-most rushes over 20 yards this year (4).

He has allowed the 49ers to maintain their status as a top offense while also passing the ball at a top-10 position in football.

Last weekend, Mason was seen more as a receiver, catching two passes for 37 yards and would have had significantly more had it not been for a controversial holding penalty against George Kittle that negated a 38-yard touchdown catch-and-run would have for the running back.

The 49ers obviously used the running back position in a variety of ways to create mismatches in the passing game with Christian McCaffrey in the backfield, but while he was injured they were missing some of that receiving presence.

As a result, some of their offensive efficiency, particularly in the red zone, has been compromised, resulting in a good but not exactly elite offense when it comes to scoring.

Given last weekend's results, should the 49ers use Mason as a receiver?

Since last offseason, the running back has shown a knack for catching the football as he performs very well after the catch, as evidenced by his yards after contact number when running the football.

Mason has also shown good hands, as he has yet to drop a pass on 11 targets in his career, while he caught seven of seven passes that came his way this season, averaging 5.5 yards after catch per goal corresponds.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan was impressed with the running back's ability to catch the ball, which he saw last year, but wasn't able to show as much given the high effort from Christian McCaffrey.

“Yeah, I think that was most evident last year, I thought,” Shanahan said of Mason’s route running and hands. “I think when Christian came here his first year, it was just Jordan, [RB] Elijah [Mitchell]all the defenders just watching him, the way he was out of the backcourt, all the things he started to get from that. I think all of these guys have been a little more intentional about these things in the offseason. And they all came back better last year and showed a lot. Christian was always available last year. This year they did the same thing, JP got his chance and it really paid off.”

The third-year running back has proven he is capable of grasping anything the 49ers throw at him. Given the different mismatches a defender can create in San Francisco's passing game and Mason's increased comfort catching the football, his importance as a reliable security blanket for Brock Purdy could increase in the coming weeks.