Frank Gore Jr. was one of a host of former San Francisco 49ers greats’ sons to enter last month’s draft.
Gore’s father, Frank Gore Sr., was one of the greatest running backs of the past 20 years, hanging up his cleats in 2020 after a 16-year career that ended with him sitting third in the all-time rushing list, behind only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton.
Gore Jr. joined the likes of Brenden Rice (son of Jerry), Luke McCaffrey (son of Ed and brother of Christian) and Terique Owens (son of Terrell), who were all sons of former 49ers stars hoping to hear their names called in the 2024 draft.
While McCaffrey (Washington Commanders) and Rice (LA Chargers) were both drafted, Gore Jr. and Owens were not among the 257 players drafted.
Both have been handed a lifeline in their NFL dreams however, as the pair were picked up as undrafted free agents; Owens followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the 49ers, while Gore Jr. signed for the Buffalo Bills, another of his father’s former teams.
And after last week’s rookie minicamps, Gore Jr revealed that he is using his draft snub as motivational fuel.
“It pushed me a lot,” Gore Jr. told reporters. “There’s no way 257 people are better than me in this draft, but now that that process is over, I’m a Bill, I’m here to compete, and I’m here to push my teammates, and push the running back room and try to do it on special teams.”
Gore Jr.’s father spent his penultimate season in Buffalo at the age of 36 and his son admitted that his father wanted him to sign for the Bills.
"It was relieving," the younger Gore said about being handed this post-draft opportunity. "Knowing that my dad wanted me here, I wanted to be here.
“When me and [running backs] coach [Kelly Skipper] met over the process I just got the vibe that he's the type of coach I need to get better and the type of coach I want to become the best player that I can possibly be."
If Gore Jr. is to make it to the Bills roster he will need to compete with the likes of James Cook, Ty Johnson and Darrynton Evans for a place on the team.
"I'm here now and I'm here to prove people wrong," he added.
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