San Francisco 49ers: RB Elijah Mitchell Becoming A Workhorse

RB Elijah Mitchell is becoming the workhorse in the San Francisco 49ers offense.

The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2021 NFL Draft with a pretty full running back room. Raheem Mostert had been playing well for multiple seasons. Jeff Wilson was a valuable depth piece. They also liked the quickness and receiving chops that JaMycal Hasty brought to the table.

Still, with two of the three potentially hitting free agency after the 2021 season, the 49ers pounced at the idea of drafting a couple running backs in April, selecting Ohio State’s Trey Sermon in the third round and Louisiana’s Elijah Mitchell in the sixth round. Sermon brought an element of power and flexibility with good short area burst, and Mitchell has the long speed and explosiveness as well. Both looked like good fits in Kyle Shanahan’s outside zone/wide zone scheme.

When the regular season rolled around, it looked like Mitchell had passed Sermon on the depth chart, and when Mostert went down, it was Mitchell’s job to hold. He ran for 104 yards on 19 carries and found the end zone against the Lions in week one, and he showed off the impressive speed on his touchdown run. He ran for 107 yards against Indianapolis last Sunday night as well.

Against the Bears, Mitchell had his best outing of the season. He rushed for 137 yards on 18 carries, and was helped by several of his teammates to punch one of those runs in for a score. Mitchell is the type of running back than Shanahan loves, as his one-cut-and-go explosiveness fits perfectly with wide zone. His vision is still a work in progress between the tackles, but when he’s asked to manipulate linebackers in space and find the cutback lane, Mitchell succeeds.

One thing is clear for this San Francisco 49ers team trying to find its identity. Elijah Mitchell has become the workhorse for this team, and he may not look back.