Nick Mullens could have a long career as an NFL quarterback, but it might not be as a starter. Both Adam Schefter of ESPN and former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young, also of ESPN, joined KNBR this week and discussed the second-year quarterback.
Mullens has five NFL starts under his belt and passed for 1,479 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions in those games. He is 2-3 as a starter, which is one more victory than last year's third-round draft pick, C.J. Beathard, who has twice as many career starts.
Schefter and Young believe Mullens could be a solid NFL backup for years but aren't sure about his potential as a long-term starter.
"I think when you look at Nick Mullens, he's done a nice job this year," Schefter said Wednesday morning on the "Murph & Mac" show. "But I think Nick Mullens is Nick Mullens. That's what he is. It's not an insult. There's a spot for guys like Nick Mullens. He can play 10 years and be a backup."
Mullens reminds Schefter of Gary Kubiak, who was the long-time backup to John Elway with the Denver Broncos. Schefter points out that Kubiak was always a reliable backup quarterback, very intelligent, went on to coaching, and would eventually be part of four Super Bowl championship teams — one as an assistant in San Francisco, two as an assistant in Denver, and one as the Broncos' head coach.
"I'm not trying to chart Nick Mullens' career path or anything, but that's kind of what it reminds me of," Schefter continued. "You've got a guy, who as a quarterback, is effective when he plays, is never going to be an all-world talent, but knows the game, works the game, is smart about the game, dedicated to the game. All the things you're looking for in a backup, but I just don't know that he's talented enough to be a starter."
Young, who had a Hall of Fame career in San Francisco and probably knows a thing or two about quarterback play, agreed with Schefter's assessment of Mullens.
"Nick's got himself a job in the future," Young said Wednesday night on the "Tolbert & Lund" show. "He's going to be a backup quarterback in the NFL. You can play for 10 years, hanging around because of what you've done, showing that you can go win a football game in a tough environment, or you can go replace people and throw the ball and listen to a great coach.
"What will happen is other really good coaches around — there's probably 15 of them — they say to themselves, 'Watch that kid because if he frees up, I want him on my team.' You can make a lot of money and make a great career for yourself."
The comparison Young made was to Ryan Fitzpatrick, whom he described as a quarterback who can come off the bench and perform at a high level. Is he a long-term starter in the NFL? Can he be a franchise quarterback? Young doesn't believe so.
"He's built to come off the bench," Young stated.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Schefter below.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Young below.