Two of the 49ers’ pleasant surprises this season are far from that to Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter.
The 49ers cashed in after the 2017 NFL draft when neither running back Matt Breida nor quarterback Nick Mullens were among the 253 players chosen. Breida and Mullens signed with the 49ers as free agents, and now will be starting for the third consecutive game in the same backfield Sunday against the Bucs.
Koetter has been aware of Breida and Mullens for a while.
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Todd Monken, Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator, was the head coach at Southern Miss, where Mullens shattered records. Monken recruited Mullens to Southern Miss after Mullens appeared set to remain in his hometown to play at Alabama-Birmingham. Mullens’ best season came in 2015, when he threw for 4,476 yards and 38 touchdowns with 12 interceptions as a junior.
After that season, Monken joined Koetter’s Bucs staff as offensive coordinator.
“So he was on our radar because of that connection,” Koetter said of Mullens on a conference call Wednesday with Bay Area reporters.
San Francisco 49ers
Mullens will make his third consecutive start Sunday against the Bucs in place of C.J. Beathard, who initially replaced injured Jimmy Garoppolo.
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Koetter also is familiar with Breida, a native of Tampa. Koetter’s daughter, Kendra, began her college volleyball career at Georgia Southern, where Koetter’s friend, Todd Kleinlein, is the athletic director. Koetter and Kleinlein worked together at Arizona State, where Koetter was the head coach from 2001 to '06.
“And he had told me about Matt,” Koetter said of Kleinlein. “I actually attended a game when he played, and was very impressed.”
Breida made the 49ers' 53-man roster as a rookie, and is thriving in his second season. Breida is tied for 10th in the NFL in rushing with Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey with 632 yards rushing. Breida’s 5.6-yard rushing average is best in the league among ballcarriers with 100 or more rushing attempts.
“There are so many running backs nowadays that are maybe undrafted and come into the league and when they get their opportunity, they make the most of it,” Koetter said. “Matt has certainly done that. He’s playing good football.”