Tag: Eli Mitchell

49ers score first on Elijah Mitchell TD run in wild-card matchup vs. Cowboys

The #49ers scored first vs. the Cowboys on an Elijah Mitchell TD run.

The 49ers needed just seven plays to roll 75 yards for a touchdown on their opening series of Sunday’s wild-card game vs. the Cowboys. Running back Elijah Mitchell cruised in from four yards out to cap the first drive and put the 49ers up 7-0 early. Mitchell had two rushes for 17 yards.

Eli’s World: 49ers backfield no longer a committee

The #49ers’ backfield-by-committee approach is over. Elijah Mitchell is firmly RB1 in San Francisco.

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The 49ers’ running-back-by-committee approach is officially a thing of the past. A remnant of years past when San Francisco didn’t have a back who was capable of producing regularly and durable enough to shoulder a lion’s share of the workload. Rookie sixth-round pick Elijah Mitchell has changed the script for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s running back usage.

There were several reasons for the committee approach at running back during the first four years of Shanahan’s tenure, but it was never the ideal design. Carlos Hyde carried most of the load in 2017, but Matt Breida and Alfred Morris shared a backfield in 2018. In 2019 it was Tevin Coleman, Raheem Mostert and Breida. Last season Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr. and Jerick McKinnon all saw semi-regular carries.

Now the backfield belongs to Mitchell, and that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon.

He’s the team’s leader in carries with 81 after notching 18 in Sunday’s win over the Bears. It’s the fourth time this season he’s had more than 17 carries, something Mostert has only done twice in the regular season. Breida and Coleman only did it twice apiece as well. Only Wilson has done that more times since 2018, and he did it four times across three seasons.

The only other player getting any kind of carries is JaMycal Hasty, who’s mostly working on third down. He has 12 attempts this season, but five of those came in Week 2 when he was pushed into a bigger role by other injuries in the backfield. He’s had three attempts in each of San Francisco’s last two games.

Rookie third-round pick Trey Sermon is actually second on the team in rush attempts with 31, but he’s been phased out of the offense entirely. He has 31 carries, but only one over the last three weeks. He had 29 carries in the two weeks Mitchell was sidelined, but Mitchell’s return relegated Sermon back to a bench role.

It’s hard to fault the 49ers for leaning on their sixth-round pick. With Mostert out for the year, their rushing attack was missing an explosive, big-play element. Mitchell’s style makes him a perfect replacement, and he’s turned it into an extremely productive first five games. He’s up to 433 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 81 carries.

The 49ers have plenty of talent in their backfield, but the committee has been disbanded. Mitchell is their lead back, and at this rate it’s difficult to see San Francisco going another route any time soon.

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Run game takes center stage in 49ers’ 2021 NFL draft class

The San Francisco 49ers’ picks in the 2021 NFL draft show an attempt to overhaul their run game.

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The 49ers made a statement with their 2021 NFL draft class. They selected a pair of offensive linemen and two running backs after taking QB Trey Lance third overall. It appears, at least for now, bolstering the rushing attack was a top priority for the club with this year’s rookie class.

It’s not a huge surprise they invested so heavily in that aspect of their offense with the promotion of run game coordinator Mike McDaniel to offensive coordinator. They used their first two picks on Lance and a big guard from Notre Dame named Aaron Banks. He’s a mauling downhill run blocker who figures to slot in as the starting right guard.

Their third pick came via trade up. They used two fourth-round choices to trade up to the Rams’ No. 88 selection. That’s where they took Ohio State RB Trey Sermon. He runs a lot like 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel in an identical frame. Sermon’s style should fit nicely in San Francisco’s outside zone run game, and he might wind up being the team’s top RB by the time the season starts.

They finished up the third round with a cornerback, and went into Day 2 with wide receiver and a pass-catching tight end on their list of needs. They overlooked those two spots entirely, opting instead to pick Western Michigan LT Jaylon Moore, who thrived as a blocker on outside zone runs. There’s a chance he moves to the interior, but he also offers depth at tackle.

Defensive backs filled their next two picks. Oregon CB Deommodore Lenoir and USC S Talanoa Hufanga joined the club and helped their depth problem in the secondary.

Their final pick, No. 193 in the sixth round, could’ve easily gone to one of the slew of available WRs. San Francisco instead grabbed another running back. Louisiana-Lafayette’s Eli Mitchell fits perfectly as a change-of-pace back for the 49ers. He ran a blazing 40-yard dash at his Pro Day and averaged 6.2 yards per carry in four college seasons. Getting him on the edge in the 49ers’ run game could make him a home run hitter in the vein of Raheem Mostert.

What we could see in 2021 is a version of the offense we saw from the 49ers last year while Jimmy Garoppolo was hobbled by an ankle injury. It looks like we’ll see plenty of the run game, coupled with short throws that act as extensions of that. Until Lance is ready to take the reins full-time, this is probably the 49ers’ best bet to move the ball efficiently given some of Garoppolo’s limitations.

The 49ers in 2019 rode one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks to a Super Bowl, and this year’s draft put them in a spot to do the same once again despite all the noise over their quarterback who went third overall.

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49ers draft 2 RBs for first time since 1991

The San Francisco 49ers picked running backs Trey Sermon and Eli Mitchell in the NFL draft.

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The 49ers drafting a running back in the 2021 NFL draft wasn’t a surprise. It was definitely unexpected to see them go that route a second time though. San Francisco drafted Ohio State RB Trey Sermon No. 88 overall, then snagged Louisiana RB Eli Mitchell with the 194th pick. It was the first time since 1991 that the 49ers picked two running backs in the same draft.

In the ’91 draft they picked Ricky Watters out of Notre Dame No. 45 overall, and Sheldon Canley from San Jose State with the No.193 selection.

Neither player suited up for the 49ers during their rookie seasons. Watters wound up having a nice career, including five trips consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl that started in 1992 when he first suited up for San Francisco. He was also a key member of their championship club in 1994. Canley only played one game in 1992 for the Jets.

The 49ers would be thrilled if one of their picks turned into Watters. Given their other needs when Williams came off the board though, he needs to have a much more notable career than Canley.

San Francisco’s penchant for finding top talent at RB in the undrafted free agent market bodes well for their two draft picks, but it’s an awfully big investment they haven’t made in the position in 30 years.