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INDIANAPOLIS – Frank Gore has worked in the 49ers front office in an advisory role for nearly a year.
But that doesn’t mean his namesake has the privilege of accessing inside information.
“No, he can’t do that,” said Frank Gore Jr., a draft prospect at the NFL Scouting Combine. “He just helps me become a professional. But inside there is nothing.
Gore is a runner, like his father.
His father was a third-round pick of the 49ers in the 2005 NFL Draft. The younger Gore appears to be a Day 3 pick.
Gore Jr. said he participated in an informal interview with the 49ers this week at the combine. He has spoken to his father only in passing this week, but plans to spend time with him after he completes his workouts on Saturday.
Frank Gore, the original, will likely be watching alongside 49ers general manager John Lynch at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Gore, 40, played the first 10 seasons of his 16-year NFL career with the 49ers. He is the organization’s all-time rushing leader. Gore retired after the 2020 NFL season as the third running back in league history. He amassed 16,000 rushing yards, ranking only behind Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton in NFL history.
“For the first part of his career, I was pretty young,” Gore Jr. said. “But as I got older I started to understand that this is not normal. It definitely seemed pretty crazy to me that he was still doing it. Even at the end of his career, he was still doing it at a high level.”
Gore set a good example for his son with his manic work habits and his discipline to follow the same routine.
“All day, all year, it never ends with him,” said Gore Jr. “The deal, the guy is like a robot. I’ve seen it all, so I’m going to try to take the same steps so I can have close to the same career.”
The younger Gore explained why he refers to his father as a robot.
“Same schedule every day,” he explained. “The same sleep schedule. He goes to sleep at the same time. He’s going to take the same steps. Each and every day of the week will be the same. “I can improve (on that), but I’m trying for sure.”
Now, there’s a new Frank Gore about to become an NFL player.
Gore Jr. was a largely overlooked prep prospect who ended up at Southern Mississippi, where he gained 4,022 rushing yards and scored 30 touchdowns in his four-year career.
He set the FBS bowl game record when he rushed for 329 yards in a 38-24 victory over Rice in the LendingTree Bowl in December 2022.
It’s no surprise that the most common comparison for young Gore is his father. And that’s something the draft prospect acknowledges while also pointing out some differences in his styles.
“I’m pretty similar to my dad,” he said. “We have our similarities, but we also have our differences. He groomed me, so of course we are similar.
“I would say I am more agile. A little more lateral movement. He’s more of a puncher. Other than that, we are pretty similar.”
Since he and his father share the same name, there will always be comparisons. Gore Jr. knows it, understands it and doesn’t bat an eyelid.
“It’s a blessing and an opportunity,” he said. “I’m not going to shy away from my name. I am who I am. It is a blessing to have your name. So I wouldn’t say I’m not happy to have his name. She had his name and made it what it is. Now I have the responsibility to go further.”
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