49ers’ Elijah Mitchell ‘sick to my stomach’ in film review, ‘ready to roll’ in home debut

SANTA CLARA — Running back Elijah Mitchell spent Friday of his first NFL bye week while serving as the grand marshall at his alma mater Erath High School’s homecoming parade, some 2 1/2 hours east of New Orleans.

“It was fun to be around and just be a part of that,” Mitchell said.

On Monday, he resumed practicing as the 49ers’ starting running back, a role he inherited after injuries took out Raheem Mostert in the season opener, not to mention Jeff Wilson Jr. in the spring.

“Whenever you get an opportunity like this, you have to take it and run with it,” Mitchell said. “I always had that mindset, even if I wasn’t a starter or anything – just keep working until my name’s called.”

Mitchell will make his Levi’s Stadium debut Sunday night. An “achy” shoulder injury kept him out of their previous home losses to Green Bay and Seattle, but he returned to action last game, albeit with just nine carries for 43 yards at Arizona. Fellow rookie Trey Sermon had just one carry late last game.

“I go back and watch film and say, ‘Man, if I would have made this cut, or if I bounced it outside, it could have been a big play.’ I just try to go into every week trying to fix that and just play ball,” Mitchell added. “It makes me sick to my stomach when I see stuff like that. I try every week to keep going and make the right cut next time.”

A sixth-round pick from Louisiana, Mitchell said he and Sermon (third-round pick, Ohio State) have received coaching tips from Mostert, such as alignment details and aiming points. (Mostert underwent surgery during the bye week on his season-ending knee injury from the Week 1 win at Detroit.)

As for his own health, Mitchell noted: “Shoulder’s feeling good. Ready for a new week, ready to roll.”