Elijah Mitchell

Mitchell showed as a rookie that he has the talent to be a good starting running back in the NFL, but he's struggled to stay healthy even when occupying a backup role. He spent the past year and a half behind the league's pre-eminent workhorse, Christian McCaffrey, who might not have been acquired in the first place if Mitchell had been healthier his first two seasons. In any case, he's missed 24 of a possible 51 regular-season games, and San Francisco couldn't resist the temptation of drafting Louisville burner Isaac Guerendo in the fourth round this spring. Mitchell then struggled with injuries throughout the summer, ultimately landing on IR before the start of the season and leaving Guerendo and Jordan Mason to handle backup roles behind McCaffrey.

Mitchell is a starter-level running back when healthy, so it's a shame the majority of his 2022 was wiped out by knee troubles. First, Mitchell sprained his right MCL on a slippery Soldier Field in Week 1, then three games into his return he sprained the left MCL in Week 12. Although he entered the season as San Francisco's clear RB1, Mitchell's fantasy value took a blow greater than either knee injury when the 49ers traded for Christian McCaffrey in October. Good as Mitchell is, he'll never imitate McCaffrey, especially as a pass catcher. Still, Mitchell's sub-4.4 speed plays well off the bench, and the 49ers run often enough at fast enough tempo that there should be a handful of 10-carry weeks for Mitchell even if McCaffrey is at full strength. If McCaffrey misses time, Mitchell would likely have no trouble holding off the likes of Jordan Mason and Tyrion Davis-Price for the starting job -- a role he handled more than capably in the past, apart from repeatedly being forced out with injuries.

The 49ers backfield rarely shakes out the way anyone expects it to, and 2021 was no exception. The fragile Raheem Mostert started off atop the depth chart, with third-round pick Trey Sermon expected to push for touches. Mostert did indeed get hurt just four snaps into Week 1 and missed the rest of the season, but it was sixth-round selection Mitchell who got first crack at filling in. The rookie made it his own, rushing for more than 100 yards and a TD in three of his first five games. The Louisiana-Lafayette product also missed two games during that stretch with a shoulder stinger, setting the tone for the rest of the season as he wound up missing six games in all due to three separate injuries. Mitchell was effective when he played, ranking 12th in YPC (4.7) and fifth in rushing yards per game (87.5) and yards after contact per carry (2.5). While not the most elusive back, Mitchell is both fast (4.39 40 at his pro day) and surprisingly powerful for a 200-pounder (12th in the NFL with 16 broken tackles on run plays). His rookie- year performance was enough to solidify him as the leader of San Francisco's backfield heading into the summer, albeit with durability concerns and the possibility of losing some work — especially on passing downs — to Sermon, Jeff Wilson, JaMycal Hasty or third-round rookie Tyrion Davis-Price. Maybe this is the year coach Kyle Shanahan does the completely unexpected thing and sticks with his initial depth chart.

The 49ers selected Mitchell in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but the late pick doesn't mean he can't have an immediate impact in the league. With a 5-10, 200-pound frame and 4.33 speed out of the backfield, the Louisiana product could carve out a specialty role for the 49ers (or another team if he doesn't make the cut).