49ers training camp: Each position's top battle to watch in 2023
By Peter Panacy
Top 49ers running back battle: No. 2 halfback
Players in the mix: Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason, Tyrion Davis-Price
As is the case at tight end, there's no questioning who the No. 1 running back is on the Niners roster, and it's Christian McCaffrey, in case you were actually wondering.
Behind McCaffrey, though, it's a wide-open competition.
Elijah Mitchell, the third-year pro who set a rookie record in 2021 with 963 rush yards, should be the No. 2 option. But Mitchell is a massive injury risk and missed all but five games last season, and he also missed time during minicamp with an injury, too.
That's opening up the door for second-year pro Jordan Mason to make a leap on the depth chart, and Mason might be the favorite anyway. Especially after already unseating last year's third-round rookie, Tyrion Davis-Price, in year one.
Davis-Price, meanwhile, finds himself needing a massive rebound to not only be a featured part of the rotation behind McCaffrey but to also hang out on the Niners' 53-man roster.