Grant Cohn: Exploring why Nick Mullens is still so underrated

I called a former coach to get the scoop on Nick Mullens. To find out what it is he does so well.

Mullens is a phenomenon. He’s one of the most successful young quarterbacks currently in the NFL. His passer rating through five career starts is 93.5, higher than Baker Mayfield’s 93.4 passer rating, and Mayfield was the No. 1 draft pick this year. Mullens was an undrafted free agent in 2017.

Mullens grew up in Hoover, Alabama, 60 miles west of Tuscaloosa, the home of college football’s top program, the University of Alabama. It did not offer Mullens a scholarship, even though in 2012 he won the Alabama high school football Player of the Year Award. The Crimson Tide snubbed Mullens, as did every other school from a Power 5 conference, because he’s small for a quarterback - only 6-foot-1 - and doesn’t have a strong arm.

Mullens went to Southern Mississippi, a modest program, and passed for 11,994 yards and 87 touchdowns in four seasons. Monster numbers.

Still, the NFL wasn’t impressed. The 49ers didn’t even have Mullens on their draft board. Quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello had to convince the 49ers to sign Mullens to the practice squad, where he spent most of 2017 playing free safety for the scout team during practices.

Now, Mullens is the 49ers’ starting quarterback while Jimmy Garoppolo recovers from a torn ACL. So far, Mullens has thrown for 1,479 yards - fifth most by a quarterback during his first five starts since the NFL-AFL merger in 1966.

How did everybody miss on Mullens? What makes him good?

This is what the former NFL coach said. Here’s our entire conversation.

COACH: “Mullens’ strongest asset is his composure. He doesn’t have those wide, saucer eyes you see from other young quarterbacks who have more experience than Mullens. You see some of those guys throw three, four picks in a game and look totally overwhelmed. Not Mullens.”

GRANT: “He seems extremely prepared.”

COACH: “He has prepared himself - that’s the key. He has rehearsed game plans by himself in empty stadiums. As he walks up and down the field, he makes the play calls, makes all the adjustments mentally, goes through his progressions as he drops and sets his feet.”

GRANT: “And as a result, he plays like a veteran. Makes checks at the line of scrimmage and goes through pass progressions quickly.”

COACH: “Right. He’s ahead of some other young quarterbacks because of what he has done on his own, outside the regular practice field and regular practice hours.”

GRANT: “What do you notice about his physical skills?”

COACH: “He has pocket awareness. I’d like to see him load his back leg and cock his hips as he sets his feet and prepares to throw. But, that’s where a guy like Tom House can help. House is the former Atlanta Braves pitcher who runs a quarterback school in Los Angeles during the offseason. He works with Tom Brady and Drew Brees. They work on the finer points of pre-passing preparation.”

GRANT: “You’re saying Mullens needs more arm strength, but can develop it with better mechanics.”

COACH: “Correct. He doesn’t bring his lower body with him all the way. That’s something House can fix. And Mullens is the kind of guy who would seek out House. Mullens is a student of the game. He’s not out there playing like it’s recess. He’s not just winging it. He takes a much more studious approach. He’s invested in the intangibles beyond the normal scope of being a quarterback. That’s why he will surpass more physically gifted players.”

GRANT: “Isn’t it amazing how far that investment can take a young quarterback?”

COACH: “Guys like Michael Vick always relied on natural talent to get by. As Vick got older, he spent more time prepping for games and learning disguises. Well, Mullens can’t wait until he gets older - he may not get the chance if he doesn’t do it when he’s young.”

GRANT: “Tom Brady was similar to Mullens in that way. Brady was a sixth-round pick who didn’t have a cannon for an arm, but invested himself in the game as soon as he entered the NFL and improved.”

COACH: “And Brady still plays with a chip on his shoulder. You’ve got to have some animosity, an I’m-going-to-prove-them-wrong mentality.”

GRANT: “Mullens has that. It’s what’s makes him so endearing. He plays well in spite of everyone, even his own head coach, Kyle Shanahan, who has a tough time praising Mullens.”

COACH: “You know why?”

GRANT: “Because he preferred C.J. Beathard and the 49ers traded up to get him in the third round?”

COACH: “Exactly. If Shanahan heaps too much praise on Mullens, people will say, ‘Jeez, you didn’t do a very good job evaluating your quarterbacks.’”

GRANT: “Good point. What will the 49ers do with Mullens if he continues to play well? Could they trade him during the offseason?”

COACH: “You don’t know how well Garoppolo will come off surgery. Usually, the ACL comes back OK. Usually. I would want to keep Mullens just in case, unless someone were to offer a second-round pick and a fifth-rounder.”

GRANT: “Do you really think a team would offer those picks for Mullens? He has started only five games.”

COACH: “Right, but his resume right now is deeper than Garoppolo’s was when the 49ers traded a second-round pick to get him. Garoppolo started two games in New England. Using that as a scale, Mullens has significant value in the market. There has to be a team that needs a quarterback.”

GRANT: “Garoppolo did very little in New England, played a game and a half and people were sold on him. Mullens has posted similar numbers for a longer stretch, and people seem skeptical he can keep it up.”

COACH: “Here’s why. Garoppolo was Tom Brady’s understudy. Garoppolo was coached by Bill Belichick. People thought that gave Garoppolo credentials by default, as if he learned by osmosis. He got the benefit of wearing a Patriots uniform without having to perform.”

GRANT: “As opposed to Mullens, who never got the benefit of the doubt from anyone even though he always has performed at a high level dating back to high school.”

COACH: “Correct. People always marginalize him. Always find a reason to downplay what he achieves because he doesn’t meet the prototypical height-size-weight-velocity specifications everybody has for the ideal quarterback. He is the classic underdog. You can’t find one coach or scout in the league right now who isn’t shocked at Mullens’ success. Otherwise, they all would have drafted him. Put that in your column.”

GRANT: “I will. Thank you, (name redacted).”

Grant Cohn covers the 49ers and Bay Area sports for The Press Democrat and Pressdemocrat.com in Santa Rosa. You can reach him at grantcohn@gmail.com.