San Francisco 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens has had a pretty good past 24 hours. He made his NFL debut, looked impressive in the 49ers' 34-3 victory over the Oakland Raiders, and even got verified on Twitter during the game. The second-year quarterback has been the subject of NFL sports broadcasts since last night.
Is Mullens tired of talking about himself?
"Yes, sir," he answered during a Friday afternoon interview on KNBR.
Mullens spent all of his rookie season last year on the practice squad after the 49ers signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Miss. He was promoted to the active roster on September 26 following the season-ending injury to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Mullens was supposed to remain C.J. Beathard's backup for the remainder of the season, but injuries thrust him into the starting role on Thursday night.
Now, you have to wonder if Beathard will start another game this year.
"You're never complacent being the third-string quarterback," Mullens said. "I was just trying to work as hard as I could each day but, at the same time, understood that it was a process. I wasn't a highly touted guy. I wasn't going to be given anything, and I understood that. So that's why I just try to outwork anybody I can."
Does Mullens believe he will start against the New York Giants during Week 10?
"We'll see what happens," he responded. "I'm not the one to make that decision, and I'll just do whatever the team needs."
Mullens went on to say that the 49ers were the team that showed the most interest in him during last year's draft process.
"I was definitely appreciative of that," he said. "And coach Shanahan, I knew he had a great offense. I knew the success that he's had. So it was a great fit, and I've loved every minute of being a 49er."
Tight end George Kittle was asked Thursday night about Mullens' preparation after telling reporters that he listens to crowd noise on Apple Music (we looked it up — it's on there) to simulate the fans in the stadium.
"I'm pretty sure last year he was a guy that took the (play call) script after the game, and he'd go out on the field after the game and run the plays by himself," Kittle told reporters. "That's just Nick Mullens in a nutshell."
Mullens wasn't sure where Kittle's story originated from and felt it sounded a little too dramatic. "I'm pretty sure Kittle made that up," he said.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Mullens on the "Garry & Larry" show below.
