Who is Nick Mullens? What to Know About the 49ers' Backup Quarterback

The 49ers' third-string quarterback could take the field for San Francisco this season.

Nick Mullens is the 49ers' current backup quarterback behind C.J. Beathard, who took over as San Francisco's starting quarterback after Jimmy Garoppolo was ruled out for the remainder of the season.

The 49ers current starter, Beathard, has been out of practice with a wrist injury all week and is officially listed as questionable. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday that Mullens will start for San Francisco against the Raiders Thursday night due to Beathard's injury.

So who is the 49ers little-known now-second string quarterback? Here's what you need to know about the team's potential starter. 

Mullens is Southern Mississippi's career passing leader in every statistical category

Mullens played college football at Southern Mississippi before joining the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He finished his collegiate career as Southern Mississippi's career passing leader with 11,994 yards, 87 touchdowns and 46 interceptions. In his standout junior season, Mullens set a single-season school records for passing with 4,476 yards and touchdown passes with 38 as the Golden Eagles finished with more than 7,000 yards of offense for the first time in school history. 

His almost 12,000 yards make Mullens Southern Miss's career passing leader in every statistical category.

This is his second season with the 49ers

The 23-year-old Alabama native was signed by the 49ers on May 4, 2017 but was waived by San Francisco in September. The team signed him back to the practice squad one day later. He was a practice player for the duration of the 2017 season and the start of 2018.

Mullens was called up to the team's active roster on Sept. 26 after Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

He's never made an NFL start

As of Week 9, Mullens has never played in an NFL regular-season game. Under center for San Francisco this past preseason, Mullens went 31-of-43 for 396 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

The 49ers take on the Raiders in Week 9's Thursday night football matchup. The team announced that Mullen would be starting as the team's signal caller just two hours prior to kickoff, which is slated for 8:20 p.m. ET.