From Joe Cool to the Inconvenient Truth, and even just two letters for T.O., the 49ers have had some of the greatest nicknames in NFL history. On Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine, general manager John Lynch revealed rookie running back has a ... well, interesting nickname.
It does fit Mitchell's running style pretty perfectly, though.
"Elijah came in and had an unbelievable year. We call him 'Drano,'" Lynch said.
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SIGN UP HERE No, not because of Mitchell's incredible plumbing skills.
"Because he always finds the right gap," Lynch continued. "It's kind of like putting the Drano down the drain and it just finds it. That's what we call him because of his natural run instincts."
That just about sums up Mitchell's downhill running style and ability to have solid short-area bursts.
Mitchell, taken in the sixth round of the 2021 draft, set the 49ers rookie rushing record with 963 yards on the ground. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry and 87.5 rushing yards per game. MItchell rushed for five touchdowns and caught one as well.
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He did all this in only 11 games, missing six to injuries.
"He showed a ton of toughness, because he battled some things he couldn't play through but he did. He kept showing up. Kid's gonna be a really good football player."
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While the 49ers took the Louisiana product in the sixth round, they traded up to take Ohio State's Trey Sermon in the third round. Sermon's rookie year didn't go quite as celebrated as Mitchell's.
Appearing in nine games -- two starts -- Sermon carried the ball 41 times for 167 yards and scored only one TD on the ground. He added one as a receiver as well.
Still, Lynch remains high on Sermon and is excited to see what he and Mitchell can do in Year 2.
"We believe the same for Trey," Lynch said. "Trey I think had to make an adjustment to how you run in the NFL. That's natural for rookies. ... It was a crowded room, but Trey is somebody we're really excited about, as we are with Elijah.
"We like our depth in that room and it's not bad to be able to turn to Deebo when you need a play or two."