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.
After attempting just nine throws six weeks ago, Purdy stepped up and completed 25 of his 37 attempts for 210 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in front of a raucous crowd at Levi’s Stadium. The impressive outing served as the former Iowa State standout’s proper introduction to both 49ers fans and the NFL at large in one of the more anticipated games of the weekend.
With Garoppolo now lost for the rest of the campaign, San Francisco will likely look to its unheralded rookie QB as it tries to fill the biggest void in its lineup for a second time, prompting fans around the world to ask: Who is Brock Purdy? And, perhaps as a follow-up, how did his journey lead him to the big stage?
With that in mind, here are four things to know about the 49ers’ new starter as he prepares to lead the team on the stretch run to the playoffs:
1. Finished his collegiate career at Iowa State as the sole owner/co-owner of 32 individual program records
Although he wasn’t selected near the top of the draft, Purdy boasts several notable accolades to his name following his four seasons with the Cyclones.
The 6-foot-1 signal caller played sparingly as a third-string freshman in 2018 before rising to prominence as a sophomore. Over the next three years, Purdy shined en route to setting historic marks, earning a second-team All-Big 12 selection in ’19 and first-team All-Big 12 honors his junior and senior seasons. He also finished as a Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist in ’19 and again in ’20 while finishing as a semifinalist for the Manning Award.
In all, Purdy finished his career as the winningest QB in Iowa State history with a 30–17 record, and as the program’s leader in passing yards (12,170), touchdown passes (81), completions (993), and completion pct. (67.7), along with 28 other records. He is also one of six players in Big 12 history with 10,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career.
2. Arrived at Iowa State as a former Gatorade Player of the Year
A native of Gilbert, Arizona, Purdy, then a three-star recruit, turned down offers from Alabama and Texas A&M before choosing Iowa State in Feb. 2018. Prior to the decision, Purdy caught the attention of scouts as a promising talent at Perry High School in Gilbert.
As a senior, he completed 238 of 368 yards for 4,410 yards and 57 TDs, and ran for 1,016 yards and 10 scores. The performance garnered Purdy the honor of being named Arizona’s Gatorade Football Player of the Year after the ’17-’18 season. He finished his high school career with a 27–13 record.
3. First Mr. Irrelevant to throw a TD pass
It didn’t take long for Purdy to produce on Sunday after he replaced the injured Garoppolo, as the 22-year-old helmed a historic scoring drive to give San Fran an early 10–7 lead.
Purdy went 2-for-4 for 10 yards as part of a nine-play, 54-yard scoring drive he capped with a three-yard touchdown pass to fullback Kyle Juszczyk. The play made Purdy the first Mr. Irrelevant in NFL history to throw a TD, putting him in a unique class of his own.
4. Seventh QB selected last in an NFL draft, and could become the first to start a game.
In addition to joining a long lineage of “Mr. Irrelevant” draft picks, Purdy stepped into another exclusive club after he was selected 262nd overall back in April.
Purdy became just the seventh QB to be selected last in a draft, joining George Haffner (Colts, 1965), Randy Essington (Raiders, 1984), Larry Wanke (Giants, 1991), Ronnie McAda (Packers, 1997), Chandler Harnish (Colts, 2012) and Chad Kelly (Broncos, 2017).
Of those players, only Kelly logged snaps in a regular season game. Should Purdy get the start on the road against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in Week 14, he will be the first “Mr. Irrelevant” QB to start a game in his career.
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