The Most Underpaid Player on the 49ers

The 49ers have a haul of players who are exceeding their contract value.

Last season it was Deebo Samuel who was paid a base salary of $1.1 million. Carrying the 49ers to a playoff run and earning an All Pro honor makes him by far the most underpaid player. But Samuel is likely to get an extension soon, which means there is a new player on the 49ers who is the most underpaid.

That player is Elijah Mitchell.

Where Samuel was the engine that got the offense going, Mitchell was the gas. For a majority of last season, it was Samuel as No. 1 and Mitchell as No. 2 as the most impactful skill players on the 49ers' offense. Anytime those two missed time, especially Mitchell, the offense saw a drop-off.

Mitchell entering 2022 has a base salary of $825,000. For a guy who was a smidge away from racking up 1,000 rushing yards on 4.7 yards per carry -- he's massively underpaid. Just imagine what would have happened last season had Mitchell not been a smooth runner. The 49ers would have been pressed once Raheem Mostert was lost for the season after Week 1.

And while Mitchell did miss six games, he showed enough in his 11 that he played in that he was an impactful player. The guy was 40 yards away from totaling 1,000 yards in 11 games. For a late-round rookie, that is nothing short of impressive. Yet another fifth-round stand out that the 49ers have found. Mitchell is poised to pick up where he left off with the hope that his health doesn't falter the same as it did his rookie year.

Now that he is putting on more muscle and the 49ers have added Tyrion Davis-Price, Mitchell should find himself with a fresher body throughout the season. Reaching 1,000 yards will certainly be on the table for him in 2022. And should he do that, which I believe he will, then he continues to look like an extremely underpaid player that the 49ers found phenomenal value on.