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In August, San Francisco 49ers rookie running back
Elijah Mitchell said he was willing to do "anything and everything" just to make the roster. As a sixth-round pick, and the team's last selection in this year's draft, nothing was guaranteed for him. Mitchell wasn't even the first running back drafted by the 49ers. The team selected Trey Sermon in the third round.
For Mitchell, that meant doing whatever was asked of him just to ensure that his time with the 49ers didn't come to a close.
"Like I said,
I'm willing to do anything and everything just to be on this team," Mitchell said. "So, [special teams] is going to be one of my roles but also being a running back too. But have I have to take special teams seriously, and that's what I plan to do."
Now, four months later, Mitchell is the 49ers' leading rusher and has to be in the conversation of the NFL's best young running backs. He looks like the team's back of the future. Mitchell has rushed for 693 yards and four touchdowns in eight game appearances and seven starts. Amazingly, he did so while banged up, having dealt with shoulder, rib, and finger injuries.
Mitchell's 693 rushing yards lead all NFL rookie running backs, and his 4.8 yards per carry ranks second only to Javonte Williams of the Denver Broncos.
No one sees Mitchell as a key special teams contributor anymore. Instead, he is a featured part of the 49ers offense and proving to be the workhorse the team has lacked for years. But, despite his early success, Mitchell isn't taking this opportunity for granted.
"I'm just happy that I got drafted," Mitchell told 95.7 The Game's Whitey Gleason and Ray Ratto on Wednesday. "But either way it goes, drafted high, drafted low, I'm always going to have that mindset of trying to be the best."
Mitchell's early mindset of doing whatever it takes to make the roster has helped him prove to his coaches that they can depend on the young running back. He may have been seeking to make an impact on special teams, but he always had his eyes set on a more significant role.
"I always had that mindset of coming in and wanting to play, wanting to start, really," Mitchell said. "But when I first came in, it was the thought that everybody had, where they're coming in, being drafted. Special teams, that was my one key because I knew we had a deep room and everything. But things happen, so when it was my time, when my name was called, I was just ready to go."
As for Mitchell's finger fracture, the injury doesn't appear to be hindering the running back's production. Within two weeks of surgery to repair the fracture, he carried the football 27 times for 133 yards and a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings in 49 offensive snaps.
"It's a finger," Mitchell said. "It's football. You've just got to play through things like that. I've been doing a pretty good job taking care of that."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Mitchell below.
Malachi Corley has been likened to versatile San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel. What does Corley, the former Western Kentucky wide receiver, think about the prospect of joining Samuel and the rest of the 49ers' receiving corps?
It's a possibility. Corley is expected to be drafted in the second or third round this week and recently visited the team in Santa Clara. Could it be the 49ers calling his name?
"Put me out there with Deebo," Corley recently told Kay Adams on the "Up and Adams" show. "Deebo, left, Malachi, right, [Brandon] Aiyuk, [Christian] McCaffrey down the middle."
While 49ers fans hope to see Aiyuk remain with the team, negotiations for
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel will be wearing No. 1 the next time he steps onto the football field, leaving behind his No. 19 jersey. It's an unfortunate change for any fan who previously invested in a Deebo jersey—unless they consider it a throwback.
Newly signed wide receiver Trent Taylor quickly claimed No. 19 after rejoining the team on a one-year deal following three seasons elsewhere. Taylor last wore No. 15 with the 49ers, a number currently worn by wide receiver Jauan Jennings. Taylor also wore No. 81 with the team.
The 49ers' official team site has listed the jersey numbers for several of the team's free-agent newcomers (and Maliek Collins, acquired via a
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
