49ers quarterback Nick Mullens still fighting for backup role next year

SANTA CLARA - The results on the field say Nick Mullens is a better quarterback than C.J. Beathard. But head coach Kyle Shanahan says they’re “dead even.”

Mullens and Beathard each have started five games in 2018. Mullens’ completion percentage is 63.8; Beathard’s is 60.4. Mullens’ quarterback rating is 93.5; Beathard’s is 81.8. Mullens has committed six turnovers; Beathard has committed 10. Mullens has taken 10 sacks; Beathard has taken 18. Mullens has won two games; Beathard has won zero.

And yet, Shanahan won’t give Mullens the edge over Beathard. Those two must compete to be the backup quarterback during next year’s training camp. Shanahan explained why Wednesday morning.

“It starts with how they were coming out of college, their ceiling and who you think has the most ability,” Shanahan said. “Then, it goes to practice each day. Some of the throws and the plays that people make - that’s where C.J. was ahead of (Mullens) and beat him out. Nick got his opportunity because of injury. He’s been very consistent in games. He’s played very well, and that’s why he hasn’t lost (the starting job).”

In other words, even though Mullens has outplayed Beathard, Shanahan believes Beathard may have more physical ability and long-term potential. That’s what the 49ers believed when they traded up for Beathard in the third round of the 2017 draft, then waited to sign Mullens as an undrafted free agent.

“I’ve been around the league for a while,” Shanahan said. “You study 30 (quarterbacks) every year and usually less than 10 of them get drafted. So, you’ve got a feel on the type of guys that get drafted, the type of guys that don’t. We didn’t think (Mullens) was going to get drafted. When you don’t think someone’s going to get drafted, then you don’t need to draft him.

“You have to have a certain amount of talent to play in the NFL. You have to have the requirement to get into the club. (Mullens) has enough (talent) to be successful, and he’s detailed and deliberate in everything he does.”

But he doesn’t have overwhelming talent. He has just enough, according to Shanahan.

Mullens is 6-foot-1 - short for a quarterback. Most are 6-2 or taller. Beathard is 6-2. And he has a stronger arm than Mullens. That’s why Beathard got drafted and Mullens didn’t.

But Mullens has produced better numbers than Beathard since college. During their final two seasons of college football, Beathard threw for 175.5 passing yards per game. Mullens threw for 309.9.

Why did teams think Mullens’ production wouldn’t carry over to the NFL? Why did teams not draft him? Why must he constantly prove himself, even to his own head coach?

“I don’t know,” Mullens said Wednesday afternoon. “That’s a really good question. I understand my limitations. I understand what strengths I have and don’t have. I understand how the process worked. I never expected to get drafted, to be honest. If I showed up at the (NFL Scouting) Combine, I wouldn’t be the biggest, the fastest or the strongest. Evaluators put a lot of thought into that. It’s part of the deal. This is what I’ve got and it’s my job to maximize it, so that’s what I try to do every day.”

The NFL did not invite Mullens to the combine in 2017.

The same year, Baker Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy. Mayfield is a quarter-inch shorter than Mullens and averaged just eight more passing yards per game than Mullens during their final two seasons in college.

But NFL talent evaluators didn’t downgrade Mayfield because he’s short. Instead, the league invited Mayfield to the combine and the Cleveland Browns took him with the top pick in the 2018 draft.

Now, Mayfield’s quarterback rating is 93.4, and Mullens’ is 93.5. Mayfield has thrown for 261.5 passing yards per game, and Mullens has thrown for 295.8.

What’s the big difference between the two? Why do most people consider Mayfield a franchise quarterback while Mullens has to compete with Beathard just to be a backup?

When will people stop looking for reasons to doubt Mullens?

“I don’t really care, to be honest,” Mullens said. “I really don’t. I wish I had a cooler answer. For me, the only thing that matters is what I do on the field. It doesn’t matter what I look like or how I throw the ball, it’s the results on the field.”

The past two weeks, Mullens has thrown for 746 yards - more than any 49ers quarterback has accumulated in back-to-back games since Joe Montana in 1990.

Decent results.

Injury notes

Strong safety Jaquiski Tartt (shoulder) and nickel back K’Waun Williams (knee) both did not practice Wednesday after sitting out last Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

Running back Matt Breida returned to practice for the first time since re-injuring his ankle against the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 2. If he practices the rest of the week and has no setbacks, he probably will play Sunday.