Cosell joined KNBR on Friday afternoon and discussed Mullens' debut performance as he prepares for his second start, a Monday night matchup against the New York Giants. Cosell has just one game worth of film to base his evaluation because Mullens was not among the prospects he studied last year coming out of Southern Miss.
"I thought he showed a quick, compact delivery (against the Raiders)," Cosell said on the "Gary & Larry" show. "I thought he was consistently accurate. I thought he was decisive with his reads and his throws, which I think Kyle Shanahan helped tremendously. It was the result of play design.
"There were a couple of throws that really stood out to me. I thought the 25-yarder to [Pierre Garçon] on the second TD drive was an outstanding throw by Mullens. He threw the deep dig, and it's one of those sort of firm-touch throws. It's not a strike, and it's not an arm throw. It's a firm-touch throw, and the ball placement was precise.
"I thought he did a really nice job on the [George Kittle] 71-yarder where he sort of had to move away from pressure. The pocket was caving in on him, and he was able to create enough space to make the throw.
"There were particular plays where I thought he was really, really good. He was obviously efficient running an offense that presented clean opportunities."
Cosell went on to say that Shanahan's offense is difficult for an opponent to prepare for because of how different it is from others around the NFL.
How is it different?
"The fact that Kyle uses a fullback more than any team in the league," Cosell said. "When I talk to defensive coaches around the league, one of the first things they say when they are looking to prepare for an offense is they start with personnel. It's personnel. It's formations. It's tempo. It's schemes. It's concepts.
"So when you play the 49ers, your personnel on your defense, you're going to end up more than likely playing more out of your base. Although, the Giants may not do that. They play a lot of what we call Big Nickel with three safeties, and they may take that approach."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Cosell below.
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers vs. Raiders preseason finale: Players and position battles to watch
We can expect to see few starters in preseason game number three, but that does not mean there won't be consequential performances. Here are players to focus on this Thursday when the San Francisco 49ers face the Las Vegas Raiders. (I am putting their jersey numbers in... -
49ers vs. Raiders in preseason: How to watch, stream, and listen, plus odds
The San Francisco 49ers travel to Allegiant Stadium to take on the Las Vegas Raiders in the final game of the 2026 preseason. This matchup marks the 44th preseason meeting between the two teams. San Francisco looks to improve to 23-20-1 in the preseason series against Las... -
49ers practice and media schedule ahead of preseason matchup vs. Raiders
The San Francisco 49ers will hold three full practices during the next week as they prepare for their preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak are scheduled to speak with the... -
49ers vs. Raiders PFF grades: Best and worst from the game, plus snap counts
The San Francisco 49ers beat the Las Vegas Raiders 18-12 in their preseason finale. Pro Football Focus released its grades and snap counts from the game, providing a closer look at which 49ers players stood out and who has more work to do. Highest-graded 49ers:...