Iowa State’s offensive coordinator praised his players and shared thoughts on the 49ers quarterback
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ylor Mouser has risen through the ranks of the Iowa State program, beginning in 2017 as the assistant director of scouting, moving to senior quality control in 2019, and finally becoming the offensive coordinator for the Cyclones in 2024. Mouser has coached current NFL players Charlie Kolar, Breece Hall, and Brock Purdy.
I had a chance to sit down with the Cyclones coach to discuss Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins as draft prospects and what makes Purdy unique.
Mouser praised Noel’s work ethic and leadership, calling the Iowa State receiver “the best leader he’s seen” during his time with the program.
He’s the best leader that we’ve ever had. He’s the kind of guy when you walk into like, he’s got a look in his eye that makes everybody feel more confident, feel better. He’s the hungriest guy. The most competitive guy I’ve ever been around. And he’s got an it factor to him, like when push comes to shove, we can’t get that guy to the ball enough.
If we put the ball in his hand, something good is gonna happen. And you look at not the stuff on his highlight tape. There was a reverse against Utah where it should have lost eight yards and he ended up getting five yards on it just because the guys just built different and he just wouldn’t allow, you know, a negative play to happen with the ball in his hands and the versatility that he has is incredible.
One pushback on Noel’s chances for success in the NFL is the receiver’s frame, but Mouser has no such concerns about his ability to succeed at the next level.
I think it matters even less in the NFL than it does in college.
In college, you can hold on every single play. In the NFL, you can’t touch these guys. So for us, when we’re recruiting a guy like we like somebody with some length that can be physical at the top of these routes, and you get into people.
Like Jaylin is, I think he’ll get better at running routes. Noah Pauly, our receiver coach, is I think, the best receiver coach in college football, and what he trains these guys from a release standpoint, from a drive phase, from a top-of-the-route standpoint. The efficiency that that guy has in his route game.
Mouser continued to praise Noel’s teammate and brother of Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, Jayden Higgins.
He can manipulate people like nobody I’ve ever seen. He’s got patience like nobody I’ve ever seen at the line of scrimmage. And he’s so fluid and he’s so sudden. He studies it. He wants to perfect his craft.
And he knows, in the most critical point of the game, the ball’s going to be going to him. If it’s third and eight, we’re going to get zero coverage. Every single concept we have as a man-beater attacker with Jayden, our zone-beater attackers going to Jaylin, and probably our man-beater attackers are going to Jayden.
On the topic of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, Mouser smiled ear to ear while recounting Purdy’s time at Iowa State.
Yeah, I think just the competitive excellence that that guy has, the willingness. I mean, fight for every single inch on the field. He’s the kind of guy that holds and fights for the standard, demands excellence of everybody that’s on the field. And he’s the kind of guy that has a rage and a spark to him when he goes out there that like everyone’s like, oh man, this guy’s built different.
He can extend plays better than anybody I’ve ever seen. And I think in that league, like you’ve seen that be one of the biggest factors with successful quarterbacks in that league. How much that guy cares, the work ethic that he puts in, the love that he has for his teammates and coaches.
So there’s there’s stuff there that aren’t necessarily intangibles is the accuracy, ball placement. The timing of that guy has is exceptional and what he was able to do here for our football team and the extending of the plays and just making something out of nothing is really, really special.
Mouser and Purdy hail from the same hometown in Arizona, and, after praising Purdy’s makeup and family upbringing, remains confident Purdy and the 49ers will come to an agreement on a potential contract extension.
Yeah, Brock’s a team first guy. I’m sure he hates all of it and all like the talk that’s behind it because he just wants to play football and I’m sure he is letting his agent do his thing.
Like I said, I don’t, I don’t know. But I promise like money is the farthest thing, you know, from driving that guy, you know, he doesn’t care about it. I know that there’s a part of it that will take care of itself and he knows where he stands in the grand aspect of things. But he’s certainly not the kind of guy that’s going to stretch the pennies in that organization one way or the other.
He just won’t like he’s not that kind of guy. He’ll go somewhere at the end of his career. He’ll go live in Illinois and just fish every day and you don’t need a ton of money to do that. So I’m sure, if there is a hold-up, there’s not a hold-up. I have no idea what’s going on with it, but I promise it’s not because of Brock.
For Mouser’s full interview, check out the video below.
