Could 49ers move Nick Mullens during 2020 NFL Draft?
By Peter Panacy
News reports state the San Francisco 49ers turned down offers for backup quarterback Nick Mullens, yet that doesn’t answer rumors whether he could be moved during the 2020 NFL Draft.
The short answer, yes. The San Francisco 49ers could move backup quarterback Nick Mullens at some point during the 2020 NFL Draft.
But the context and possibility behind this would-be proposition and earlier reports make the suggestion harder to digest and predict. Speaking on the GM Shuffle podcast, The Athletic’s Michael Lombardi reported the Niners turned down every offer to acquire Mullens through a trade this offseason.
On the surface, this would seem to indicate San Francisco has zero interest trading its immediate quarterbacking reserve behind its starter, Jimmy Garoppolo.
Yet in reality, all it says is the 49ers weren’t interested in any offers other teams were making at that particular moment in time.
To deepen the context, the Niners carried three quarterbacks on their active roster last season: Mullens, Garoppolo and their 2017 third-round draft pick, C.J. Beathard, who was inactive all 16 regular-season games. It’s a thought head coach Kyle Shanahan won’t want to waste a roster spot on a third QB again in 2020. But with the new CBA agreement increasing regular-season rosters to 55 players over the previous 53, keeping all three becomes more of a possibility now.
But that doesn’t change the idea Mullens could be used as part of a trade package during the draft itself.
49ers trading Nick Mullens wouldn’t be shocking news
It’s impossible to list the entirety of outcomes that may present themselves on draft day, many of which could include other teams either getting or not getting the prospect quarterbacks they wanted. One could see and understand why the 49ers could be wise to proverbially “wait it out” to see what the market dictates as the draft moves along, especially considering the Niners are short on mid-round picks and have zero selections between Rounds 2 and 4.
All it takes is for one team out there to get a little desperate, sending over perhaps a second- or high third-round pick for Mullens — a perceived massive overpayment, probably according to some, yet much more understandable during the tumultuous events of the NFL Draft itself.
Of course, the ideal route for San Francisco would be trading Beathard, who is clearly third on the team’s pecking order at the position.
Chew on this, though: If you think the 49ers have no need for Beathard, what makes you think another team would want to give up assets for him? Mullens is the lone backup with trade value, not Beathard.
True, it’s important to have a quality backup, especially when recalling how San Francisco’s 2018 campaign completely fell apart when Garoppolo suffered his season-ending ACL tear. At the same time, every player on every roster has a tradable value assigned to him. Even if it’s an exorbitant cost, it’s still there.
Next. 3 Niners who could be traded during 2020 NFL Draft. dark
So, while the Niners haven’t appeared to be inclined to trade Mullens this offseason yet, the non-actions do nothing to suggest they stick with this plan when the NFL Draft rolls around in late April.