49ers roster: 4 players who make next superstar leap in 2022

49ers potential superstar No. 1: Running back Elijah Mitchell

A short while ago, NFL.com suggested second-year running back Elijah Mitchell was the 49ers’ best candidate to become a first-time Pro Bowler this season.

Not a bad hype.

Sure, the former sixth-round draft pick out of Louisiana will see some touches stolen away by the Niners’ 2022 rookie, Tyrion Davis-Price. But Davis-Price might be more of an early rusher in games, an approach Kyle Shanahan has used with success before, while Mitchell and his speed could be featured as the “home run” threat later on.

Think the relationship in 2019 between former San Francisco rushers Tevin Coleman and Raheem Mostert, Mitchell emulating the latter here.

Read More: Can Elijah Mitchell make the leap as a first-time Pro Bowler?

Mitchell’s brief injury history plays a role, too, as he missed six games but still managed to set a franchise record for a rookie with 963 rush yards over 11 games, averaging an impressive 4.7 yards per attempt.

If we were to extrapolate those 963 rush yards and average them out over a full (healthy) season, Mitchell would have had 1,488 rush yards in total.

That’s a lot, certainly Pro Bowl-worthy.

So, if Mitchell is able to stay healthy and commands the same kind of workload as he did a year ago, he might indeed wind up becoming something of a household name this season.