SANTA CLARA – Two months ago, Kyle Shanahan and Christian McCaffrey tried in vain to follow their fathers’ footsteps and win a Super Bowl. They’ll make another run at it this coming season, and more second-generation Niners might help their cause.
Just look at the names that might get called (again) in the NFL Draft on April 25-27: Rice, Owens, McCaffrey, Gore, and Stone.
Yes, the 49ers’ family circle could welcome in wide receivers Brenden Rice (USC), Terique Owens (Missouri State), and Luke McCaffrey (Rice); running back Frank Gore Jr. (Southern Miss); and, defensive end Ron Stone Jr. (Washington State).
Not all are assured of getting drafted, much less establish a NFL career that rivals their father’s. None of those five players rank among the top 10 at their position in projections by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., and none are viewed as top-50 prospects by NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah.
Owens and Stone were among 45 prospects who came Wednesday to Levi’s Stadium, where the 49ers hosted their annual Local Pro Day tryouts.
Closely watching Owens’ workout — and recording some of it on his iPhone — was his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens.
“He plays similar to me at the beginning of my career,” the elder Owens told this news organization. “He’s raw, he’s green, and he hasn’t had a lot of reps and experience, and that’s what will help him.”
“Obviously whatever team I get an opportunity with, I’ll get reps and continue to get better,” Terique Owens said. “No team has told me for sure (they’ll sign him) but I have confidence I’ll get an opportunity somewhere.”
Among those throwing passes to Owens on a tryout basis was Kellen Mond, whom the Minnesota Vikings drafted with a third-round pick in 2021; the 49ers drafted Trey Lance No. 3 overall that year. Shanahan and general manager John Lynch were on-field observers Wednesday and focused most of their attention on the receivers, including Owens.
It wasn’t until his sophomore year that the younger Owens opted to take his athletic talents from the basketball court to the football field at Bishop O’Dowd High School-Oakland. “That’s not what I wanted to do,” Owens said of his football goals, “but look where I am now.”
His father, now 50, left the 49ers after launching his Hall of Fame career here from 1996-2003. He was a five-time All-Pro, six-time Pro Bowler and currently ranks third in NFL history with 15,934 receiving yards and 153 touchdown catches.
“He’s shared a lot of stories,” Terique Owens said. “There are so many he shared about his career and everything he went through out here.”
After Wednesday’s hour-long audition that included a couple of impressive catches, father and son conferred on the sideline and discussed route-running techniques. “We’ve been working all through the year,” Terique added. “It means a lot that he’s out here supporting me.”
As stacked as the 49ers’ roster to defend their NFC crown, they likely won’t be compelled by sentimentality to use one of their 10 draft picks on, shall we say, a legacy from the 49ers’ old-school fraternity.
Here is a closer look at the 49ers’ next-gen prospects:
BRENDEN RICE
Wide receiver
USC
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 208 pounds
Credentials: What makes him a potential Day 2 draft pick beside being the youngest son of arguably the NFL’s greatest player ever? Well, just look at Rice’s 2023 season, where he had 12 touchdown catches as a trusted target for projected No. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams. Rice’s physical style is complemented by top-notch athleticism, and while his 40-yard dash time (4.5 seconds) isn’t blistering, just remember how his father’s time (4.7 seconds) proved moot.
Quote: “My pops already created a legacy over there. I’m trying to create my own. If they drafted me, I’m not wearing (No.) 80.” – Brenden Rice, on the All Facts No Brakes podcast with Keyshawn Johnson.
* * *
FRANK GORE JR.
Running back
Southern Mississippi
Height: 5-foot-8
Weight: 201 pounds
Credentials: It’s no surprise that the son of the 49ers’ all-time rushing leader led Southern Miss in rushing each of his four seasons, compiling 4,022 yards that ranked third in program history. He then won Offensive MVP honors at the East-West Shrine Game, reminding everyone of his big-play ability, in case they forget about his FBS-bowl record 329 yards in the 2022 LendingTree Bowl against Rice.
Quote: “Very good football player. Tough. Great eyes. Great feet. He’s going to do whatever it takes that the team that drafts him made the right decision. He’s got top-end speed. Some days he can go, some days he won’t. Great vision. Great heart. Stronger than what people think. But a good football player, man.” – Frank Gore Sr., who played 10 seasons for the 49ers (2005-14) in a 16-year career that covered 16,000 yards; he’s spent the past year as a 49ers’ personnel-department advisor.
* * *·
LUKE McCAFFREY
Wide receiver
Rice
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 202 pounds
Credentials: He converted from being a Nebraska quarterback (2019-20) into a versatile wide receiver at Rice, where his final season saw him tally 71 catches for 992 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Owls’ MVP the past two seasons, McCaffrey strengthened his draft stock at the Senior Bowl. His 40-yard dash time (4.47 seconds) just beat out the 2017 mark (4.48 seconds) of his brother, Christian, who won the NFL’s rushing title last season with the 49ers.
Quote: “It’s awesome to take tips from (Christian), my dad and older brother, and put all that together. Being the youngest, I was always the observer, and I got to learn from everybody. That was such an influence.” – Luke McCaffrey, at the NFL Scouting Combine.
* * *
TERIQUE OWENS
Wide receiver
Missouri State
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 200 pounds
Credentials: Whereas his father, Terrell, commanded the spotlight during his Pro Football Hall of Fame career, Terique Owens mostly has toiled in football’s shadows as a late bloomer. An exception was in Missouri State’s home opener last season, when he produced two touchdowns and 140 yards on five catches in a victory over Utah Tech. Owens attended Bishop O’Dowd before going on to play at Contra Costa College (2018), Florida Atlantic (2019-20) and Missouri State (2021-23).
Quote: “We raced when I was at Florida Atlantic University one time. It was a tie, I’m going to tell you that right now. He’ll tell you he won, but it was a tie. We haven’t raced again. I’ve been trying to race him ever since. He’s like, ‘I’ll be ready next week.’ He knows what it is.” — Terique Owens, on now being faster than his dad.
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* * *
RON STONE JR.
Defensive end
Washington State
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 250 pounds
Credentials: A six-year stay at Washington State got ready for the NFL, where his father played 12 seasons as a guard (Cowboys, 1994-95; Giants, 1996-2001; 49ers, 2002-03; Raiders, 2004-05). The younger Stone’s final season in Pullman was highlighted early by his pair of fumble-forcing sacks in a home win over Wisconsin. Of Stone’s 16 career sacks, he had five both last year and in 2021. Depending on a NFL team’s defensive system, he could line up either as an edge rusher or an outside linebacker, but, regardless, his focus will be on getting to the quarterback. While other players stretched for Wednesday’s workout, Stone chatted on the side with new 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen.
Quote: “I didn’t get the O-lineman genetics, but I got the athlete genetics from him. I didn’t get quite the size he got. … This is what the dream is, what the plan is, what the goal is. I’m super excited to be ready with an opportunity to give it my best shot and go from there.” — Ron Stone Jr., after Wednesday’s local pro day.
