San Francisco 49ers: 5 players who increased stock value at mandatory minicamp
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Quarterback Nick Mullens
While wide receiver is going to be an intriguing training camp battle, the campaign to secure the No. 2 quarterbacking job behind Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be equally compelling.
Last year’s second-half hero, Nick Mullens, didn’t exactly have the best OTA sessions, which appeared to indicate he was behind in the competition with fellow signal-caller C.J. Beathard. But Mullens took advantage of minicamp to make a number of key throws with first- and second-team members.
Jennifer Lee Chan explained some of Mullens’ best moments further:
"Mullens found Bourne over the middle in 11-on-11 drills, and the receiver showed no fear on a crossing route. While covered by Greg Mabin, Bourne still was able to haul in the pass. Mullens’ best throw of the day was to Dante Pettis, who was being tightly covered by Johnson. Johnson had no chance on the pass, as Mullens placed it where only Pettis could catch it."
It’s too early to simply give Mullens the job, of course, and the ultimate decision won’t come until teams are allowed to actually rush the passer and not create “mock” rushes with no contact.
Still, while Beathard might have gained a slight advantage earlier in OTAs, it appears as if Mullens bounced back nicely and remains in prime position to secure backup duties for Garoppolo.