Shortly after a 28-0 win over the Rams on Monday, 49ers running back Shaun Draughn was in a group chat that included his mom, two sisters and wife.

The topic of his family’s texts: Their last name.

ESPN play-by-play man Chris Berman had spent the prime-time telecast calling him Shaun “Drawn,” but his name is pronounced “Drone.” The error had Draughn’s loved ones up in arms, and he also received videos that included Berman’s repeated gaffe from friends in his hometown of Tarboro, N.C.

“Everyone was saying. ‘I wish he would pronounce your name right,’” Draughn said. “Of course, everyone from Tarboro knows how to pronounce my name.”

Draughn laughed as he recalled the reactions. And he also seemed amused by the mistake that had inspired them.

“Better to call (my name) wrong than not be calling it at all,” Draughn said. “It’s all good.”

Draughn’s no-big-deal response is understandable given his background: He wasn’t drafted and has spent time on the roster of nine teams during a six-year career that has included plenty of pink slips (seven releases) and relatively few carries (158).

This year, however, Draughn, 28, is poised for a career-best season as the No. 2 back in an offense that is ready to run. The Eagles had the seventh-most rushing attempts in the NFL during Chip Kelly’s three-year tenure, and it was more of the same in his 49ers’ debut.

In Week 1, the 49ers had the NFL’s most rushing attempts (42), fifth-most rushing yards (150) and matched a league best with three rushing touchdowns.

The heavy lifting was done by Carlos Hyde (88 yards, two TDs), while Draughn had 18 yards on seven carries and 18 yards on two catches. He did lose a fumble, but also had an impressive 3-yard touchdown run. Draughn bounced an inside zone-read run outside, stiff-armed safety T.J. McDonald to the ground and slipped between two defenders into the end zone.

Draughn smiled when asked where he’d rank the move on McDonald.

“It was definitely one of those that made me proud,” Draughn said. “The stiff-arm is one of my best tools. But to have that happen on Monday night, and then to top it off with a score, makes it definitely top two in my career.”

Another highlight will come Sunday when Draughn plays a homecoming game against the Panthers in Charlotte, which is about 240 miles from Tarboro. The less pleasant news: He’ll face a defense that ranked fourth in rushing yards allowed last year, thanks to inside linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, who were first-team All-Pros.

Last year, Davis, 33, had 105 tackles and was the only NFL player with at least five sacks and four interceptions. Kuechly, 25, has the most tackles (601) in the NFL and most interceptions (11) by a linebacker since 2012.

“The one thing about both (Davis) and Luke is just their speed,” Kelly said. “Not only play-speed, but their ability to key and diagnose plays and recognize what’s going on. You’re not going to fool those guys very much. ... I don’t know if it’s the best, I’m not a comparison guy, but that’s going to be as good a group as we’ll face at linebacker.”

Kelly has also been complimentary of Draughn, partly because he possesses the pass-catching ability Kelly prizes in running backs. Despite playing in just six games with the 49ers last year, Draughn ranked fifth on the team (and led running backs) with 25 catches, which translates to 67 over a 16-game season.

Despite his lack of a pedigree, Kelly identified Draughn as Hyde’s primary backup early in training camp, and his status didn’t change after he missed the final three preseason games with a rib injury.

Draughn acknowledged he’s not accustomed to such a stable situation.

“It’s nice to know that you’re in the plans,” Draughn said. “That’s never been the case on any team that I’ve been with. So to really be valued is definitely a great feeling.”

For his friends and family, it wasn’t a great feeling to have his name mispronounced during a rare moment of prime-time glory. Shaun “Drawn” scored a 3-yard touchdown? Draughn laughed it off.

“You can’t fault him,” he said. “I just hope he gets it right next time.”

Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch