49ers roster: 5 most underrated moves of 2021 offseason
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers take flier on Elijah Mitchell in NFL Draft
The Niners could see some serious changeups in their running back room next year, particularly with soon-to-be 30-year-old starter, Raheem Mostert, hitting NFL free agency. And a similar scenario could face fellow running back Jeff Wilson Jr., who just suffered a torn meniscus and will be sidelined the next four to six months.
San Francisco using a second-round draft pick on Ohio State running back Trey Sermon helps guard against that, and signs are pointing towards Sermon being a bell-cow kind of runner in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
Yet Shanahan has often gone with a running back-by-committee approach, meaning there will be plenty of carries for depth rushers on the roster.
Enter the 49ers’ sixth-round pickup, Louisiana-Lafayette running back Elijah Mitchell.
| Rushing | Receiving | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2017 | Louisiana | Sun Belt | FR | RB | 5 | 42 | 257 | 6.1 | 4 | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 1 | 45 | 282 | 6.3 | 5 |
| *2018 | Louisiana | Sun Belt | SO | RB | 13 | 146 | 985 | 6.7 | 13 | 20 | 349 | 17.5 | 3 | 166 | 1334 | 8.0 | 16 |
| *2019 | Louisiana | Sun Belt | JR | RB | 14 | 198 | 1147 | 5.8 | 16 | 10 | 70 | 7.0 | 1 | 208 | 1217 | 5.9 | 17 |
| *2020 | Louisiana | Sun Belt | SR | RB | 10 | 141 | 878 | 6.2 | 8 | 16 | 153 | 9.6 | 0 | 157 | 1031 | 6.6 | 8 |
| Career | Louisiana | 527 | 3267 | 6.2 | 41 | 49 | 597 | 12.2 | 5 | 576 | 3864 | 6.7 | 46 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 6/14/2021.
Mitchell, a dual-threat offensive weapon at 5-foot-10 and 210 pounds, has the speed Sermon lacks. And while Mitchell’s overall elusiveness isn’t quite there, his ability to execute a single cut and get by a defender makes for an intriguing weapon within the offense.
It’s likely the return on Mitchell’s investment isn’t truly felt until 2022 when both Mostert and Wilson are probably out of the picture.
But as a complementary piece to Sermon’s prowess, Mitchell could end up being one of those draft adds who pays off handsomely over the next three-plus years.