When fantasy football owners looked at the San Francisco 49ers’ draft haul in 2021, two names stood out: quarterback Trey Lance and running back Trey Sermon. The team’s first- and third-round choices, respectively, would ultimately contribute sparingly. Instead, it would be San Francisco’s final selection who delivered for fantasy owners in the form of sixth-round pick Elijah Mitchell, the team leader in carries (207), rushing yards (963), and rushing touchdowns (6).
That he accomplished all of that while appearing in just 11 of 17 games makes it even more impressive, though it also lays the foundation for this piece as he missed time dealing with shoulder, rib, hand, head, and knee injuries — at least his ankles went unscathed. The knee injury was the most serious, and the 24-year-old opted to undergo a cleanup procedure on it following the season, though the hope is he’ll be ready to roll full speed by training camp.
For his part, Mitchell recognizes he wasn’t durable enough as a rookie, and he has reportedly been spending the offseason trying to bulk up to 215 pounds to better handle the rigors of life in the NFL (he weighed 201 pounds at the 2021 NF Scouting Combine). Whether adding size will act as a panacea for the durability issues is to be determined, as is whether that bulk will affect the speed that was his most desirable trait coming out of Louisiana.
