49ers NFL Draft 2022: Deep dive into ‘Mr. Irrelevant,’ Brock Purdy
By Chris Wilson
Why did the 49ers draft QB Brock Purdy?
The four-year starter from Iowa state arrives with college accolades. Over his prolific, four-season college career, Brock Purdy threw for over 12,000 passing yards and 81 touchdowns and added an additional 1,177 rushing yards and 19 scores on the ground. He is also considered a leader and a positive presence in the locker room.
However, Purdy didn’t show significant progress on the playing field throughout his college tenure. Instead, he regressed statistically, faced heavy criticism and was even benched mid-game after throwing three interceptions during an early matchup against Iowa last year:
| Passing | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | AY/A | TD | Int | Rate |
| *2018 | Iowa State | Big 12 | FR | QB | 10 | 146 | 220 | 66.4 | 2250 | 10.2 | 10.3 | 16 | 7 | 169.9 |
| *2019 | Iowa State | Big 12 | SO | QB | 13 | 312 | 475 | 65.7 | 3982 | 8.4 | 8.7 | 27 | 9 | 151.1 |
| *2020 | Iowa State | Big 12 | JR | QB | 12 | 243 | 365 | 66.6 | 2750 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 19 | 9 | 142.1 |
| *2021 | Iowa State | Big 12 | SR | QB | 13 | 292 | 407 | 71.7 | 3188 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 19 | 8 | 149.0 |
| Career | Iowa State | 993 | 1467 | 67.7 | 12170 | 8.3 | 8.4 | 81 | 33 | 151.1 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
During their post-draft press conference, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t provide glowing endorsements for the rookie. Purdy’s experience was a common theme, and Shanahan admitted he had no interaction with the quarterback prior to the draft:
"…we’re excited. He started a ton of games at Iowa State, really helped influence a culture change there and played a lot of good football for them. –John Lynch"
"I didn’t have any interaction with him…I had [quarterbacks coach] Brian [Griese] and [assistant quarterbacks coach] Klay [Kubiak], Griese and Kubiak get on that the last couple months…I mean, the guy has played a lot of football, plays the game the right way, is extremely tough, gets the ball to the right spot, plays very well in the pocket and a guy who can come in here and help fill out this roster and give himself a chance to make a team. –Kyle Shanahan"
Learning the once-nicknamed “quarterback whisperer” didn’t make the effort to speak with his potential new quarterback, we can conclude with relative certainty Purdy faces an uphill battle, and will need to impress before becoming one of “Shanahan’s guys.”
Or, more harshly put, Purdy won’t be in the market to purchase a Bay Area residence any time soon.
Despite describing him as relevant, the duo appears to consider Purdy just another warm camp body. However, if the team trades Jimmy Garoppolo, Purdy would be thrust into a competition for the 49ers’ backup quarterback role, an important position given the Niners’ offensive line situation and Trey Lance’s propensity to scramble and take big hits from opposing defenders.
How would the youngster fare in a competition against career backup quarterback Nate Sudfield? And would the Niners dare enter the season with two quarterbacks with little-to-no professional experience?