Earl Mitchell

The 49ers appear very happy with Earl Mitchell, their starter at 1-technique defensive tackle earning effusive praise from defensive coordinator Robert Saleh this week.

“I feel like he came out of the womb a grown man. He’s straight business,” Saleh told reporters of Mitchell after Wednesday’s joint-practice with the Texans. “He’s got objectives, he’s got goals and he’s a grown man. That’s what Earl is and he’s been that since the first day I met him.”

On the surface, Mitchell seems an unlikely trade candidate. He has three years left on his deal and provides veteran leadership to a young defense.

But in a league dominated by the pass and, in turn, defenses that can stop it, Mitchell’s value is decreased. The 49ers, according to Football Outsiders, played base defense just 36 percent of the time last year. They spent 45 percent of their snaps in nickel personnel.

On nickel downs Solomon Thomas and DeForest Buckner will pass rush from the interior most of the time, taking Mitchell off the field.

However, the 49ers will want to rest Buckner and Thomas where they can, making defensive tackles beyond that pair who can rush the passer very valuable commodities.

Mitchell has never excelled as a pass rusher. He, to use the words of Saleh, is a “clog in the middle”.

By contrast, 2017 sixth-rounder D.J. Jones has flashed the athleticism to suggest he could provide some interior rush from base. Sheldon Day can play 3-technique and 1-technique and consistently managed to penetrate opposing backfields in his six appearances last year.

Seventh-round rookie Jullian Taylor, a force against the run at Temple, was the star of the preseason opener. He started at big end but flourished from the interior in registering a sack, a hit and a hurry.

That trio all provide traits Mitchell doesn’t and have the potential to have a greater impact on games. It’s a long shot, but it would not be a stunner for Mitchell to be traded.

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