Roger Craig paved the way for so many dynamic running backs in today’s NFL.

So, it only was right that Craig was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 during Thursday’s NFL Honors ceremony in San Francisco.

NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco had the chance to catch up with fellow Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders and San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie, individually, on Radio Row following Craig’s Hall of Fame induction, allowing each to praise the 49ers legend.

“I’m tempted to say I’m surprised he wasn’t already in the Hall of Fame,” Sanders said. “For me to go from a fan to enjoy the success that those guys had. It did my heart good to see that.”

“It’s well past due,” Lurie said.

Craig’s induction sure was overdue.

Lurie had more thoughts on Craig, comparing him to current 49ers star Christian McCaffrey.

“Christian McCaffrey is our modern-day version of Roger Craig,” Lurie said. “Christian is a Hall of Famer in his own right, too.”

There are many similarities between Craig and McCaffrey, but Craig has the hardware that CMC is still working diligently to achieve. Craig won three Super Bowls with some iconic 49ers teams in the 1980s.

“Just one of the greatest teams in sports history,” Lurie continued. “[Craig] deserves [the Hall of Fame induction]. I loved watching him as a kid.”

Sanders was one of the greatest running backs the league has ever seen, too. But before his excellence, he admired a certain tailback on the West Coast.

“Roger is a guy I’ve always looked up to,” Sanders said. “Just competing against him, I even had the opportunity to come out to the Bay Area as a young player and train with Roger Craig.”

Craig was the motivation Sanders used to push himself to be the best he could be, even if that meant tinkering with certain training methods.

“Many of us from that era had heard about Roger Craig’s workouts,” Sanders continued. “Had a chance to just be around him and see how real pros train and work out. What he got out of his talent was the way he ran with such intensity. The well-rounded player that he was.”

Craig, 65, has been waiting for this special moment for years, leaving many wondering what took voters so long to pay him his due.

Lurie spoke similarly to Sanders, believing Craig should’ve been enshrined before 2026.

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast