49ers NFL Draft 2021: Picking the best, worst, most intriguing picks

Most intriguing: Elijah Mitchell, Running Back

One running back is to be expected, even if it was an earlier pick than people expected it to be.

But two running backs?

Well, Louisiana-Lafayette runner Elijah Mitchell may be the most intriguing pick in the draft despite being the very last pick of the 49ers draft class.

A 4.32 40-yard-dash shows exactly what Mitchell brings to the table. He’s the speedy guy you can’t catch like Raheem Mostert, and even if Mitchell is buried on the running back depth chart early, it still doesn’t change that he could be the Niners’ kick and punt returner right away.

And that’s what makes this so intriguing.

Most late picks don’t have a way to playing time right away, and yet Mitchell has a golden chance if he can nab this job. San Francisco’s return game in recent years can be best described as inconsistent. The team has rotated multiple players in there as injuries frustrate the attempt to find the player for the role.

Mitchell has the speed and a  5-foot-11, 218-pound frame that isn’t easy to take down. Mitchell has definite upside and winning the return job gives him a perfect way to start his career.

When it comes to intrigue, it’s hard to look past Mitchell. The last pick of the Niners’ draft class, but one that could have a starting role just the same.