Most probably figured if any rookie was going to develop into the team's featured running back, it would be Trey Sermon, who San Francisco drafted three rounds ahead of Mitchell. Sermon played just 107 offensive snaps this past season, though, compared to Mitchell's 441.
Sermon spent over a month on injured reserve due to an ankle injury, further limiting his potential production.
One veteran teammate doesn't want Sermon to be discouraged by the lack of production, though. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk, the most experienced player in the running back room, reflected on his early NFL experience in an effort to explain why you can't always predict a player's future based on his rookie efforts. And just because it's the offseason doesn't mean Sermon and Mitchell can't rely on the 49ers fullback for advice.
"I've talked to both of them a lot, and I told them I want to continue to reach out to them in the offseason, answer any questions that they have," Juszczyk said on Monday. "I spoke about it earlier in the season, in regards to Trey Sermon specifically. My rookie year, I played four offensive snaps the entire year. I was only on special teams. That changed quickly in my second year. I became a full-time starter, and my career went on from there."
Juszczyk had 452 offensive snaps in 2014, following those four offensive snaps in 2013. Two years later, he was named to his first Pro Bowl, and has been selected to the NFL's annual all-star game every season since—six total times, including this past season.
"And that's possible for him too," Juszczyk continued. "But it takes an offseason of dedicating everything you have to your craft, to this profession, and just really becoming a better player. I've given some tips to both him and Mitch on what I think is expected from both of them, just because I've been in the league for...now I'm going to go into my 10th year after this offseason. So, I've seen a lot of players come in and out.
"I feel like I have a good feel of the type of things they're looking for and what sticks around in this league. So, I just try to help them, point that out to them, and let them take care of it from there."
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