Seattle Seahawks: 3 Big takeaways from loss vs. 49ers in Week 15
By Samuel Teets
Keep an eye on Nick Mullens
Mullens threw the ball 29 times and completed 20 of those attempts for 275 yards and a touchdown. Only two of his pass attempts were batted down by the defense and he finished with a 110.6 rating. Watching him now, it’s hard to believe this guy went undrafted and was taking reps with the scouting squad.
Mullens went to college at Southern Mississippi, where he played for four years. He peaked in 2015, his junior season, when he threw for 4,476 yards and 38 touchdowns in 14 games. That year, he was the Conference-USA Offensive Player of the Year. Southern Miss lost to Western Kentucky in the conference championship game and then lost to Washington in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. In his senior season, Mullens threw for 3,272 yards and 24 touchdowns in 11 games.
Mullens was not selected in the 2017 NFL Draft and did not have a shot to see game-time action until he was brought up from the 49ers practice squad in late September after Jimmy Garoppolo was placed on injured reserve (IR) and C.J. Beathard then went down with an injury. Now, in six games as a starter, Mullens is 3-3 and has become one of the more intriguing players in the NFL.
We’ve seen backups come in, play a few games, and then make a lot of money because of how they play. Mullens is under contract through the end of next season and he’s making just over a million dollars combined in these two years. Right now, the 23-year old is completing 64.5 percent of his passes, is throwing for 292.3 yards per game, and has a rating of 96.0.
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There’s no way he competes with Garoppolo for the starting job next year, but there are always teams that need quarterback help. If he isn’t traded, Mullens will get a good pay raise sooner or later. It just remains to be seen If he can improve into a player who’s worthy of being more than a glorified backup. In the meantime, if Garoppolo isn’t ready to start the 2019 season, then Seattle might be seeing Mullens again. Maybe next time they’ll find a way to slow him down.