As the last pick in the 2022 draft, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy entered his first NFL season to little fanfare aside from the distinction of being the latest rookie to take on the moniker, “Mr. Irrelevant.”
That all changed in Week 13, however, when Purdy suddenly found himself under center early against the Dolphins after Jimmy Garoppolo went down with a foot injury in the first quarter. Niners coach Kyle Shanahan announced after the game Garoppolo, who replaced Trey Lance after his season-ending ankle injury in Week 2, would miss the rest of the season after suffering a broken foot.
Jimmy G’s absence thrusted Purdy, who logged his only career passes late in a Week 7 blowout loss to the Chiefs, into a situation that likely neither he, Shanahan or any member of the Niners organization could’ve imagined. But, despite all odds, the seventh-round pick delivered when he was called upon and guided the 49ers (8–4) to a crucial 33–14 victory.
