The Jets weren’t aware that they had a diamond in the rough with Raheem Mostert.
Now a 49ers playoff hero on his way to the Super Bowl, Mostert was signed to the Jets practice squad for six days in September 2016. The Jets were not the first or last team to cut the running back, but he’s since played an integral part in San Francisco’s Super Bowl run.
Yet, his old position coach in New York couldn’t even recall him being on the Jets roster.
“Wow, I don’t remember him at all,” former Jets RB coach Marcel Shipp told ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “I usually remember those guys. This is bad. I do not remember him being in the room.”
The Jets weren’t the only team who misjudged Mostert. He went undrafted out of Purdue in 2015 and spent time on six different rosters before finding a home in San Francisco in 2016. Mostert didn’t succeed with the 49ers until this year, though. With one of the best offensive lines in the league, Mostert totaled 772 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in the regular season and 278 rushing yards and four scores in the postseason.
While the Jets and several others missed out on Mostert, these types of stories happen all the time in the NFL. Sometimes, it takes a few years and the right set of circumstances for a player to finally make an impact.
Mostert got his opportunity in San Francisco. Now he’s heading to the Super Bowl as a feel-good story after making the most of it.