SANTA CLARA — Step No. 1 in Frank Gore’s expected path to the Pro Football Hall of Fame is done, as he and fellow 49ers 2005 draft pick Alex Smith are nominees in their first year of eligibility.

Gore covered the third-most rushing yards in NFL history with 16,000 over a 16-year career, the first decade of which was spent becoming the 49ers’ all-time leading rusher.

Enshrined last season in the 49ers’ Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. 49ers Hall of Fame, Gore played for the Indianapolis Colts, the Miami Dolphins, the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets before retiring in 2021, and he’s now in his third season as a 49ers personnel advisor.

Smith did more than just hand off the ball plenty to Gore, as the No. 1 overall draft pick eventually quarterbacked a wayward 49ers franchise back to playoff co

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