RB Jordan James Press Conference

RB Jordan James

Press Conference – April 26, 2025

San Francisco 49ers

What kind of contact did you have with the 49ers leading up to this day?

“I kept in touch with [running backs] Coach [Robert] Turner [Jr.] a lot. He made sure to check on me and things like that. But I had a Zoom call with him and I’m pretty sure I had an informal with him at the Combine, but I’ve had a lot of contact with him.”

If you were to take a guess, how many text messages and phone calls did you receive from him during this?

“I wouldn’t say it was a crazy amount, but he made sure like every week just leading up to the draft to keep in touch with me. So, I got quite a few.”

49ers chief executive officer and owner Jed York tweeted just before you were drafted that former 49ers RB Frank Gore was a big fan of yours. What does that mean to you?

“That means a lot. Just the caliber of player he was. That’s a Hall of Fame running back right there and just to get a compliment from him on my game, that means a lot.”

Did you talk to him during this?

“He is actually good friends with my old running back coach. So, he knows about me. He kept in touch with me, things like that.”

And who is that coach?

“[Ohio State University running backs coach] Coach Carlos Locklyn.”

Bobby Turner’s kind of notorious for having a lot of contact with his draft prospects, making sure that they answer. Was that something that you made a priority to make sure when he called you answered very quickly?

“Yeah, most definitely. I answered every call. If I didn’t answer, I got right back to him immediately. So, I made sure to keep in touch with him and get back to him as fast as I could.”

What’s something that he emphasized during this draft process for you?

“Just be yourself. He said it a lot on Zoom, just be myself. There’s no right or wrong answers to any questions that he was asking me, just trying to see the type of person I was.”

Can you describe how good you are at scoring rushing touchdowns?

“I like to think I’m pretty good at that. But I’m just trying to get in that endzone. I’m trying to get those points on the board. I want to be explosive in everything I do.”

Do you like one-cut zone scheme running?

“Most definitely.”

The 49ers have had a lot of success on the ground with a lot of different running backs. I don’t know how deep you’ve gotten into it, but what do you think about the 49ers system fits you best?

“I think they have a great outside zone run scheme that I’m pretty good at that I did a lot at Oregon, so I think I’ll fit pretty well into their into their scheme and into their offense in general.”

Is RB Christian McCaffrey a guy that you’ve watched a lot?

“Yeah, most definitely. He’s one of the great running backs right now. He’s one of the best in the league right now. It’s honestly going to be an honor to go in and learn from him, learn from a great running back like that.”

I’m not asking you to liken yourself to Frank Gore at this point, but he is a guy who is not known as a speedster, but obviously he was very effective with his style. I’m sure you’ve heard you’re not the fastest running back, so are Gore and other running backs like that, guys who have patterned yourself after?

“Yeah, for sure. I like to just watch running backs that kind of run similar to me. I tell everyone that I don’t really model my game after anyone specifically, but I take bits and pieces of things that the great running backs do, and the current running backs right now, that they do every Sunday. So, Frank Gore is definitely one of those guys. I like to look at guys that kind of remind me of myself. So, Frank Gore is definitely one of those guys. A guy that’s hard to tackle. He’s explosive. We don’t have the 4.3, we’re not 4.3 speed guys, but we get the job done.”