The 49ers feature the most unique running attack in the NFL.
Rookie Elijah Mitchell and receiver/runner Deebo Samuel have been the driving forces behind the team’s run to the NFC Championship Game.
It all starts up front, and 49ers left guard Laken Tomlinson spoke on 49ers Talk about the team’s two-pronged running game.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Beginning with the 49ers’ Week 10 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, Samuel has carried the ball at least five times a game over the past 10 games. In two playoff games, he has 111 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
“I think it got to a point where the coaches just realized, getting the ball to Deebo is a scary thing,” Tomlinson said. “And however we can get him the ball, he’s going to make plays. When they started including him in the running game, and he started making plays, everybody was like, ‘Wow, we really have a gem in Deebo.’ He’s a really special guy.”
Samuel was a 1,000-yard receiver during the regular season. Now, he seems to be equally valuable when he lines up in the backfield to give the 49ers exactly what they need at the times they need it.
“That’s something really cool about our offense,” Tomlinson said. “We get guys like that who are not only can run routes, block on the edge but also run the rock from the running back position.
San Francisco 49ers
“I mean, Who does that? I mean, Deebo does it. It’s awesome.”
Mitchell has been a revelation this season after the 49ers selected him in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft from Louisiana-Lafayette.
Originally, the 49ers felt he could contribute as a third-down back. But he quickly beat out Trey Sermon, a third-round draft pick from Ohio State, to win the No. 2 job behind Raheem Mostert.
Mostert’s season ended with a knee injury after just two carries in the season opener against the Detroit Lions. The door swung open for Mitchell, and he ran with it. In 13 games, including the playoffs, Mitchell has rushed for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns.
RELATED: Three keys to 49ers beating Rams for third time this season
When did Tomlinson know Mitchell was the real deal?
“I think it was right from the get-go, honestly, that first game in Detroit when he stepped in,” Tomlinson said. “Raheem unfortunately went down but he stepped in.
“The way he was running the rock, we looked like, ‘Oh, man, this kid can really go.’ Everything he’s done for us throughout the season, it’s kudos to him because a rookie year can be tough on a lot of guys. But he took everything well, took coaching really well with (running backs coach) Bobby Turner. He’s putting it all out there on the field.”