San Francisco 49ers: Breaking down the 20 biggest moments of the decade

No. 17: Nick Mullens gets his chance

A moment I don’t think got nearly as much attention as it did, the rise of Nick Mullens from practice squad fodder to exciting quarterback is exceptionally rare and is all thanks to his amazing work ethic.

The 49ers were the only team that invited Mullens to an NFL Draft workout, and that proved to be the key in signing him.

Undrafted due to size and arm-strength concerns, despite a strong college career at Southern Miss, he worked hard to become the practice squad quarterback and be behind signal-callers Jimmy Garoppolo and C.J. Beathard in the pecking order.

Few could foresee such an instant rise for Mullens. After Garoppolo tore his ACL in 2018 and Beathard had a number of underwhelming performances, culminating in an injury of his own, Mullens got the nod to start against the Oakland Raiders.

It was reward for effort from a player who wasn’t even on the 49ers draft boards and was only signed due to the efforts of then-quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello.

His work ethic was staggering. He would practice in empty stadiums, going through reads and progressions by himself to get better. He had a good mind for the game and didn’t panic, and the result was instant.

The 49ers won the last Battle of the Bay last year 34-3, with Mullens going 16-of-22 passing for 262 yards and three touchdowns in a display that set the record for the best passer rating for a debuting quarterback (151.6) with 16 or more passes.

Mullens never looked back with a string of strong performances, and is now one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league, whom the 49ers seem to have no intention of letting go.

Not bad for the kid nobody wanted.