SANTA CLARA — When Christian McCaffrey came to the 49ers, it meant running back Elijah Mitchell’s role with the team would be reduced.
But even though he no longer is a starter, Mitchell believes McCaffrey’s presence has brought out a better version of himself.
“Most definitely,” Mitchell said about benefiting from McCaffrey’s influence.
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“Seeing what he’s doing. I’m always asking him questions. He’s probably getting tired of me a little bit. But, no, he’s an animal.”
Injuries limited Mitchell to just 16 games (11 starts) in his first two NFL seasons.
He rushed for 963 yards as a rookie in 2021 and figured to be a huge part of the offense last season. However, he sustained a knee injury in the season opener and had another knee injury upon his return.
In the meantime, the 49ers acquired McCaffrey in a trade from the Carolina Panthers.
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Mitchell could be used more as a third-down back this season, though that is one of McCaffrey’s strengths, too.
“His third-down skills are crazy, the way he catches the ball and runs routes,” Mitchell said. “I think we feed off each other. Both of us can catch the ball and run. It’s awesome, man. It’s awesome.”
Mitchell said he is constantly learning from watching McCaffrey run routes and perform duties in blitz pick-up. He showed some of those skills last week on the practice field when he caught a deep seam route out of the backfield.
Mitchell did not get a lot of practice time this summer due to a groin injury. On Thursday, he declared himself healthy and ready for Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
When Mitchell has played, he’s been a force in the run game. If he remains healthy, his presence should enable the 49ers to take some of the workload off McCaffrey.
But Mitchell said his past injuries will have no influence on how hard he plays when he gets on the field.
“I’m a physical player, so that’s what I do,” Mitchell said. “Stuff happens in football. But I’m on the verge of wanting to have a big year and run like I usually run.”