NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Ranking the top 32 NFL running backs for the 2022 season

By Sayre Bedinger

Feb 6, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; AFC running back Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts (28) runs with the ball against the NFC during the third quarter during the Pro Bowl football game at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 6, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; AFC running back Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts (28) runs with the ball against the NFC during the third quarter during the Pro Bowl football game at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
17 of 33
Next
NFL 2022
NFL 2022 – Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images /

17. Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers

2021 stats:

  • 1,100 yards from scrimmage
  • 6 total touchdowns
  • 19 receptions

It wasn’t Raheem Mostert. It wasn’t third-round pick and College Football Playoff star Trey Sermon.

It was Eli Mitchell that made most of the noise in the running game for one of the league’s best running teams last year.

Mitchell, a sixth-round pick out of Louisiana-Lafayette, is the quintessential zone running scheme back and exactly the type of player that used to find consistent success with Kyle Shanahan’s dad Mike when he was coaching 1,000-yard rushers annually for the Denver Broncos.

Mitchell barely missed running for 1,000 himself last season but still topped that mark as an all-purpose back. He was trustworthy for a team that finished in the NFL’s final four last season, averaging a rock-solid 4.7 yards per carry and most importantly, not fumbling the ball a single time.

The 49ers will undoubtedly lean on Mitchell again this season as their featured back.

His combination of speed and vision is deadly in the Shanahan offense.

Home/NFL