Former Mizzou Star Lands With NFC Contender After 2024 NFL Draft

With the 2024 NFL Draft officially in the books, many draft prospects from all levels of college football are signing undrafted free-agent deals or being invited to rookie minicamp in hopes of making the 53-man roster.

One of those undrafted free agents is former Missouri Tigers star running back Cody Schrader. Schrader didn’t receive a ton of buzz during the NFL draft circuit despite having a great 2023 season with the Tigers.

The former Truman State (D2) standout, who transferred to Mizzou in 2022, was one of the best running backs in college football last season. Schrader ran for 1,627 yards and 14 touchdowns on 276 carries. He also had 22 receptions for 191 yards in the passing game.

Based on his production at Missouri and Truman State, one would think that Schrader would’ve heard his name called during draft weekend. That wasn’t the case, but he might’ve entered a great opportunity post-draft.

On Saturday evening, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz reported that Schrader is joining the San Francisco 49ers.

Schrader is excited about joining the defending NFC champions as he posted on Twitter, “All I needed was an opportunity.”

The 49ers’ running back room is slightly crowded heading into training camp, as they have Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, Patrick Taylor, Jordan Mason, and Isaac Guerendo, who was taken in the fourth round.

That said, Schrader has an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster, but it’s not impossible as Mitchell has been banged up throughout his career, while Taylor and Mason haven’t shown much to start their pro careers.

Even with McCaffrey leading San Francisco’s backfield, the team’s overall philosophy is having a running back by committee, just in case injuries happen. If Schrader can run the ball like he did at Mizzou this past season and create those big plays, the 49ers will have a hard time keeping him off the 53-man roster and practice squad.

The 49ers continue to be the Kansas City Chiefs' biggest threat in their run to a third-consecutive Super Bowl victory. In fact, they are the only team with better odds (+550) than the Chiefs (+600) to win it all on FanDuel Sportsbook.

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