When it comes to the quarterback position, the San Francisco 49ers are like a shark that keeps growing a new set of teeth and always has some teeth to replace any he may lose.
They lost starting quarterback Trey Lance in Week 2 to an ankle injury, and Jimmy Garoppolo came in and filled in just fine.
Then when Garoppolo went down in Week 13 with a foot injury, Brock Purdy stepped in and has taken the NFL by storm.
Purdy was the 262nd pick in April’s draft, meaning he was the very last player chosen, which led to his nickname of “Mr. Irrelevant.”
But ever since Garoppolo got hurt, he has put up 846 passing yards on a 68.87 percent completion rate, eight touchdowns and a 110.0 passer rating in four games.
One reason Purdy has played so well, according to experts, is the fact that, unlike some players, he spent a full four years in the NCAA at Iowa State University.
General manager John Lynch said on Thursday that Purdy’s extensive college experience made him visible.
“He played a lot of football, so we had seen him a lot,” Lynch said on KNBR. “At one point, people thought he was coming out after his junior year. He was probably a little higher-regarded after his junior year in the scouting world. Probably dipped a little his senior year, but had a lot of qualities that we liked.”
It is likely why Purdy has looked as poised as any rookie quarterback anyone can remember seeing.
He said that on draft day, the 49ers were just one of multiple teams that were interested in him.
Brock Purdy reveals how and when the 49ers approached him before the draft pic.twitter.com/GaeWPT0pxb
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) December 29, 2022
But as the draft neared its conclusion, he was still on the board, and San Francisco decided to snatch him because it didn’t want another team to take him as an undrafted free agent.
Purdy says the team contacted him near the end of the final round of the draft to let him know it wanted him.
It could end up being one of the best decisions the 49ers have ever made in their storied history.
