Mullens hasn't shown obvious ceiling with 49ers, Young says

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In limited opportunities as the 49ers’ starting quarterback, Nick Mullens has performed admirably. Mullens posted a passing yard average over his first eight starts in 2018 that was behind only Patrick Mahomes, Andrew Luck and Cam Newton for the most to start a career, and led the 49ers to a pair of dominant wins after Jimmy Garoppolo left Week 2’s win over the New York Jets with a high ankle sprain.

The organization has been steadfast in assuring that the starting quarterback spot is Garoppolo’s to lose, but some have questioned whether Mullens is talented enough to be a QB1 in his own right in the NFL.

49ers legend Steve Young, who knows a thing or two about being a backup in the league, believes we haven’t seen the peak of Mullens’ talents just yet, as he told KNBR on the "Tolbert, Krueger and Brooks" show.

"I would want to go see it, but I don't believe he's got a ceiling that's obvious right now," Young said when asked about the prospects of the 25-year-old leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl as the starter (h/t 49ersWebZone).

"I would not say no, he'd have to go prove it to everybody, like everyone does. But I don't see a reason why not. From my perspective, what I've seen of Nick and what Kyle (Shanahan) does, I feel if that happened, I wouldn't say, 'Oh well, we're dead.' No, I would not say we're dead."

RELATED: Favre hasn't been surprised by Mullens' success with 49ers

In Garoppolo’s only full season as an NFL starting quarterback, he led the 49ers to a 13-3 record and a trip to the Super Bowl. Mullens is a tremendous insurance policy, but if the 49ers got a strong enough offer from a team desperate for a capable signal-caller, it’s hard to imagine Shanahan not taking it under consideration.

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But until a Lombardi Trophy is hoisted by a Garoppolo-led 49ers team, the questions and doubters will persist.

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