49ers’ Jerick McKinnon ‘has looked phenomenal’, Kyle Juszczyk says

Jerick McKinnon has yet to appear in a regular-season game for the 49ers, but he figures to be a major part of San Francisco's offense this coming season now that he's healthy.

That was the expectation when he joined the 49ers as a free agent prior to the 2018 NFL season, but when he sustained a torn ACL in the week prior to the regular-season opener, Kyle Shanahan's best-laid plans went out the window. McKinnon also sat out the entirety of San Francisco's run to Super Bowl LIV last season while on injured reserve due to complications with the surgery to fix that injury.

McKinnon has since fully recovered and potentially could add another dynamic weapon to an offense that ranked second in the league in scoring last season. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is excited by his unique skillset, and offensive tackle Trent Williams "can’t fathom him not being a breakout player.”

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Fullback Kyle Juszczyk on Tuesday echoed Williams' expectations for McKinnon (H/T 49ers Web Zone).

"I think we all share the same sentiments as Trent," Juszczyk told reporters on a video conference call. "Jet has looked phenomenal. You just would never guess, going out there, and watching the way he practices, how smooth he is, how he doesn't second guess himself, how quickly he answers questions in meetings, all that kind of stuff, you would never guess that this guy hasn't been on the field for two years.

"He just makes things look so natural, so smooth, that I think there can only be positive things for him this year. I think he's going to have a really good year."