49ers news: Bleacher Report predicts this former starter goes 'bust' in 2023

Two injury-plagued seasons have relegated 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell into something of an afterthought.

After his impressive 2021 campaign, then-rookie running back Elijah Mitchell appeared to cement himself as the future ground weapon for head coach Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers.

After all, Mitchell set a franchise record for a rookie by rushing for 963 yards and doing so over just 11 games.

Those 11 games actually highlight a point for the former sixth-round NFL Draft pick out of Louisiana, however, as Mitchell missed the remaining six games with injuries. Despite heading into his sophomore 2022 campaign with a new workout regimen and desire to stay healthy, further injuries ultimately led to Mitchell appearing in only five contests the following year.

Disappointing.

The Niners obviously want to see the third-year pro thrive, but it's no longer a desperate interest. At least not after they traded for All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey last season. McCaffrey, who took over San Francisco's RB1 role almost immediately, will be the bell cow on the ground heading into 2023.

Mitchell, meanwhile, is now fighting for his role on the depth chart.

Bleacher Report lists 49ers RB Elijah Mitchell as a player who'll go 'bust' in 2023

Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report recently compiled a list of each team's No. 1 candidate to go "bust" in the upcoming 2023 campaign.

For a team as stacked as the 49ers, it might be a difficult proposition to find someone of note who'll ultimately underdeliver. But, as you might have guessed, Ballentine is singling out Mitchell as the Niners' representative on this not-so-heralded list.

Ballentine wrote:

"There's a scenario in which Elijah Mitchell returns to the form he showcased as a rookie, takes a good chunk of the rushing volume from Christian McCaffrey and allows Kyle Shanahan to unleash some hellish packages that will be impossible to defend.

That dream scenario relies on Mitchell returning to that form after an injury-plagued 2022 season.

The problem is that Mitchell has an upright running style that certainly doesn't help him stay healthy. Even in his rookie season he suffered shoulder, chest and finger injuries that kept him out of games."

Read more: Should Elijah Mitchell or Jordan Mason be 49ers' No. 2 running back?

Ballentine also described how San Francisco's running back room is going to remain quite crowded and competitive behind McCaffrey, namely with second-year pro Jordan Mason potentially taking over as the No. 2 option instead of Mitchell.

If that's the case, Mitchell might be relegated to a scantly used running back, possibly competing in training camp with others like Tyrion Davis-Price for the proverbial "scraps" of touches.

Either way, Mitchell's No. 1 objective this upcoming season must be to stay healthy, which is something he has been unable to do thus far over his brief career.

Otherwise, Ballentine's prediction might be correct.

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