4 most important players on 49ers roster who aren’t starters

No. 1: 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell

Yes, we know what you’re thinking. “Running back Elijah Mitchell isn’t a backup. He’s a starter, right?”

We’re playing with terminology a bit here, but let’s embrace something head coach Kyle Shanahan often does with his running back room.

Rewinding to 2019, Shanahan had a featured running back, Raheem Mostert, who led the team with 772 rush yards and eight touchdowns on the ground during the regular season that year.

How many starts did Mostert get? Zero.

That’s no typo. Shanahan frequently opted to give fellow running back Tevin Coleman the bulk of starts, typically using the veteran to test out opposing defenses and wear them down, then using Mostert’s speed and explosiveness to take advantage.

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Mitchell, who rushed for 963 yards over 11 games his rookie year in 2021, might end up being the top yardage-getter for San Francisco’s rushing attack this season. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

However, Shanahan might revert back to that 2019-like deployment, only giving the 49ers’ Round 3 pick from this year’s NFL Draft, Tyrion Davis-Price, the majority of starts in a Coleman-like role.

Make no mistake, though. Mitchell will be the featured back even if he’s not technically a starter.