Wide receiver Mohamed Sanu hasn't been with the San Francisco 49ers very long, but he already has the respect of the quarterback who will be tossing him passes on Sunday against the New York Giants. That isn't Jimmy Garoppolo, who was ruled out with a high-ankle sprain. It's his backup, Nick Mullens.
Mullens spoke about the chemistry he has quickly built with Sanu since the 49ers signed the veteran receiver last week.
"He's come in, done a great job," Mullens told reporters on Friday. "Coach Shanahan spoke highly of him before he got here, and he's been everything that we thought he was going to be. We [built] a good rapport pretty quick. He's a real cool dude, so it's fun playing with Mo."
Teammates have a lot of confidence in Mullens' ability to lead the offense, which means a lot to the fourth-year quarterback. While the two haven't been together long, Sanu counts himself as one of the players who trusts Mullens to get the 49ers to 2-1 and fill in for Garoppolo while the starter is out.
"Nick been firing that thing," Sanu said on Thursday. "Nick has been coming in, taking command of the huddle, making plays. Not much of anything has changed. Jimmy does the same thing. You can tell they have a certain standard in that room, how they carry themselves, how they practice.
"They practice with high-intense focus, and you see it in their play. The quarterbacks have been doing their thing."
While George Kittle won't play on Sunday, the All-Pro tight end doesn't doubt Mullens as the quarterback prepares to make his ninth career start.
"Nick's confident in the whole game plan," Kittle said on Thursday. "He's got it locked in, and he's going to have a great game. ... We're definitely in good hands if Jimmy can't go."