Even though he didn't see any playing time as a third-string quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers last season, Nate Sudfeld wound up playing a more significant role than many realized when it came to the present and future fortunes of the franchise.
The 28-year-old Sudfeld signed with the 49ers last spring after spending the previous four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, but the odds of him seeing playing time were always long due to the fact he was behind Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance in the quarterback pecking order. But Sudfeld turned out to be a valuable addition to the 49ers' quarterback room because he became an important mentor to Trey Lance.
Becoming a friend and mentor to the 49ers' future franchise quarterback isn't necessarily what Sudfeld envisioned when he signed with the 49ers weeks before they selected Lance with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. But Sudfeld quickly embraced the opportunity when presented itself, because that's what others did for him earlier in his career.
"Obviously playing quarterback in this league as a starter, backup, third-string, whatever, there's a lot on you, whether it's on the field, off the field, everything. So I just kind of drew on some of my experience, things that I've been around, guys I've learned from. I've been very fortunate to learn from some amazing quarterbacks," Sudfeld told reporters after practice on Thursday. "Kirk Cousins was great to me when I got drafted [by Washington], and then [Eagles quarterbacks] Carson Wentz, Nick Foles, we all had some great relationships. So I was able to pick the brains of those guys. I had a lot of guys who really mentored me when I was young. So it was never a question I was always going to return the favor if a young player ever had questions."
Sudfeld went from a player who was trying to do whatever he could to help the team to being someone who taught the 49ers' prized rookie on the ins and outs of being a quarterback in the NFL. Along the way, Sudfeld became extremely impressed with the player the 49ers chose to become their quarterback of the future and learned a lesson or two from him as well.
"I just tried to not look too far ahead when I signed here last year. I just wanted to learn the system and help where I could," Sudfeld said. "I was just blown away by Trey when I first got in. Obviously as a player, you guys all see his talent, and I'm sure you've gotten to know him pretty well. I was blown away with who he is as a man. So he made it really easy for me. Fortunately I've been around the NFL a little bit and I've seen a lot of football, so I was able to give some advice here and there where I felt like I could, but I didn't try to overload him or give him pointers on everything, just in moments where he would reach out or ask me. He was such a humble, hard-working guy who just wanted to get better, so it just inspired me.
"I learned a lot from him, but then he would just ask and we just developed a really cool, genuine relationship and friendship. So I was really thankful for that last year."
Lance asked Sudfeld about what he learned in his previous five seasons in the league, particularly when it came to the preparation Sudfeld went through on a weekly basis. Sudfeld has just four game appearances under his belt throughout his NFL career, but he's still required to be prepared to play every week if the situation arises.
"He would just ask about routine, how to take care of your body, how to properly study during the week, just because I've done a lot of seasons," Sudfeld said. "I've prepared, done the weekly preparation all season my first six years in the league. So just little things like that, but nothing too earth-shattering. Just a lot of relationship/friendship building and little pointers from there."
Sudfeld quickly discovered that in Lance, the 49ers had a highly capable student. Lance not only showed an open mindset that allowed him to learn from what Sudfeld was teaching, he also displayed an aptitude towards for NFL concepts very quickly.
"Trey's really impressive," Sudfeld said. "He's got a lot of cognitive abilities. His processing power is really great. He can picture things really well, understanding, and then the humility to ask questions if there are things you don't understand because you only know what you know, and then you don't know what you don't know. So to ask the questions and to work on things and not be afraid to say, 'Hey, I'm not sure about this look' or whatever, just that approach he has I think is going to pay dividends for him down the road as he keeps doing that."
The 49ers liked having Sudfeld around enough to bring him back for a second season, signing him to a one-year deal in March worth $2 million in guaranteed money. Now that Garoppolo's days with the 49ers are coming to an end, Sudfeld will be moving into the No. 2 role behind Lance while continuing to mentor him as he enters his first full season as the team's starter. No one is happier about that than Lance, who made it clear on Thursday he was thrilled with the team's decision to bring Sudfeld back for another season.
"I know he loves it here and I love having him here," Lance said. "I was definitely, definitely hoping that we would be able to keep him. I could see he could easily be playing somewhere else. So I'm super-excited for him just to be in the room. He's a good friend of mine off the field as well."
Sudfeld also will get the opportunity to see up close what Lance does as a starter after spending a year learning on the sidelines while Garoppolo held down the No. 1 quarterback spot. He's already seen a noticeable amount of growth in Lance and thinks the best is yet to come.
"He's grown really well," Sudfeld said. "I'm very excited for him. Again, he has such a growth mindset, which is kind of a term these days of he just wants to be better every day. It's a true, genuine approach to want to get better, but he's also super confident, but in such a humble way. I've just seen him grow into his own, understand areas he wants to get better and understand areas that are his strengths and just let his personality show a little bit more as he's been around, been here longer. Teammates really feel that and see that."
And if Sudfeld is right about what the 49ers have in Lance, then fans could be in for a treat for years to come.
"It's a very hard position, but I'm very excited," Sudfeld said. "He has all the physical and mental tools to be a really, really great quarterback in this league."