Elijah Mitchell

The 49ers backfield rarely shakes out the way anyone expects it to, and 2021 was no exception. The fragile Raheem Mostert started off atop the depth chart, with third-round pick Trey Sermon expected to push for touches. Mostert did indeed get hurt just four snaps into Week 1 and missed the rest of the season, but it was sixth-round selection Mitchell who got first crack at filling in. The rookie made it his own, rushing for more than 100 yards and a TD in three of his first five games. The Louisiana-Lafayette product also missed two games during that stretch with a shoulder stinger, setting the tone for the rest of the season as he wound up missing six games in all due to three separate injuries. Mitchell was effective when he played, ranking 12th in YPC (4.7) and fifth in rushing yards per game (87.5) and yards after contact per carry (2.5). While not the most elusive back, Mitchell is both fast (4.39 40 at his pro day) and surprisingly powerful for a 200-pounder (12th in the NFL with 16 broken tackles on run plays). His rookie- year performance was enough to solidify him as the leader of San Francisco's backfield heading into the summer, albeit with durability concerns and the possibility of losing some work — especially on passing downs — to Sermon, Jeff Wilson, JaMycal Hasty or third-round rookie Tyrion Davis-Price. Maybe this is the year coach Kyle Shanahan does the completely unexpected thing and sticks with his initial depth chart.

The 49ers selected Mitchell in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but the late pick doesn't mean he can't have an immediate impact in the league. With a 5-10, 200-pound frame and 4.33 speed out of the backfield, the Louisiana product could carve out a specialty role for the 49ers (or another team if he doesn't make the cut).