SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) No matter what happens when Jimmy Garoppolo is healthy again and steps back in as starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Nick Mullens has proven there's a place for him somewhere in the NFL.

The former undrafted free agent out of Southern Mississippi who wasn't even deemed worthy enough to invite to the combine in 2017 has been one of the league's more prolific passers since getting his chance to play last month.

"He's shown he can play in this league," 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman said. "I hope we can keep him because teams need a quarterback. This guy's not just playing conservative football, oh man, get the ball in the right places. He's making the right decisions, he's making good throws under pressure. I'd say he's playing like a top half quarterback in this league. You have guys that are out there right now that are not playing better football than Nick Mullens. He could be a starter for a lot of teams in this football league and we appreciate that we have him and he's playing his tail off for us."