Undrafted free agents who could steal the show at the San Francisco 49ers' rookie minicamp

Rookie minicamp is the first opportunity for Schrader to prove him right. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has never been beholden to draft status when it comes to deciding the roster, so Schrader can go into the offseason workouts with hope of leapfrogging Guerendo in the pecking order and making a strong case for a place on the 53.

Schrader does not have overwhelming physical traits but he's a tough runner with impressive burst to the second level. He has excellent contact balance and constantly falls forward for extra yardage. 

On top of that, Schrader consistently does the little things well, pressing the line rather than rushing into open lanes and running off the hip of blockers to elongate the path to the ball for defenders. 

He doesn't bring huge upside in the passing game, but Schrader ticks a lot of the boxes for a Shanahan runner and will be the most compelling UDFA talent to track as another potential gem at tailback.

WR Terique Owens

Signed by the 49ers after attending their local pro day, the son of Hall of Famer Terrell Owens will likely be vying for a place on a practice squad, either with San Francisco or another team.

Owens didn't have huge production at FCS Missouri State last season but his 528 yards came at an average of 18.9 yards per reception, indicating some big-play upside.

But his dad believes it will be the finer details that will be key in Owens extending his career with the Niners beyond the preseason.

Terrell Owens recently told 95.7 The Game (h/t 49ers Webzone): "He's already started to take some of the online classes with [receivers] coach [Leonard] Hankerson, just to kind of dial in on the plays, things of that nature, just some of the verbiage, and some of the things that I can really assist on—understanding the routes and the formations.

"Those are some of the things, again, we all had to go through as a rookie, and he's going to go through that as well. So again, I've already told him, having me as a dad, it has nothing to do with the playmaking ability or anything of that nature. I told him I'm like having the answers to the test, and so if he's smart enough to actually lean on me, he has a foot up in a leg up on a lot of the competition.

"As far as my son is concerned, hey, if he can come in, learn the offense—and that's what I told him first—learn everything first, and then your playmaking ability, that'll take care of itself. Sometimes it's not all about the most athletic. It's all about who knows the most and who's the most reliable. All of that will kind of kind of play itself out."

Schrader may be the most interesting UDFA talent, but Owens is undoubtedly the best story, and his journey is one that could get even more fascinating if he heeds his dad's words and shines quickly at rookie camp.

TE Mason Pline

Pline heads to rookie minicamp as an intriguing UDFA project that has a clear opportunity to make a run at the 53-man roster.

That may seem a bizarre statement to make about an undrafted player who only has three seasons of college football under his belt having made the transition from basketball in 2021. He played two seasons at Division II level with Ferris State before transferring to FCS Furman for 2023.

But such is the dearth of convincing tight end options behind George Kittle that Pline could actually put himself in a position to make the team if he consistently impresses throughout the workout program and training camp.

His resume is hardly glowing, but at 6ft 6in and over 250 pounds, he has a huge advantage on jump balls that was evident in his sole season at Furman, which saw him record 32 catches, four of which went for touchdowns.

Pline is far from the first former basketball player to make the switch to NFL tight end. While nobody is expecting Pline to become Antonio Gates, his flashes in the receiving game in college were enough for him to be worthy of close attention as the Niners seek solutions to improve an underwhelming tight end depth chart.