Rarely is the case for a third-string quarterback to make a serious impact on an NFL roster.
That said, the San Francisco 49ers are an exception to this, thanks to the ascent of Brock Purdy, who did just that his rookie season in 2022 after being the final pick of that year's draft.
Now, Niners second-year quarterback Tanner Mordecai isn't exactly poised to follow exactly in Purdy's footsteps. After all, after going undrafted in 2024, the former Wisconsin Badger spent his rookie season on San Francisco's practice squad after showing some modest prowess during the preseason.
Mordecai's context now, though, varies greatly. And, almost by default, he just received a promotion behind Purdy and up the 49ers' quarterbacking depth chart.
This will translate to a much more important role for the second-year pro, too.
Tanner Mordecai is now 49ers' default QB3 on depth chart
A year ago, Mordecai had to look up at established veteran backups, Joshua Dobbs and Brandon Allen, who were supporting Purdy on the 53-man roster. Both are gone now, though, departing via free agency. And, while the Niners oboarded two different signal-callers during the offseason, Mac Jones and rookie Kurtis Rourke, Mordecai still ended up getting said promotion.
Jones, a 2021 first-round draftee whose career needs a reboot, is the de facto No. 2 behind Purdy now. That's a given.
However, the selection of Rourke in Round 7 of last April's draft comes with a catch. Rourke suffered a collegiate ACL tear and won't be ready for the start of the regular season, potentially redshirting his entire rookie year after the team placed him on the non-football injury list.
With no other quarterbacks on the 90-man offseason roster, Mordecai now finds himself in a necessary QB3 role behind Purdy and Jones. It'll mean a full-time promotion to the 53-man roster, albeit as the emergency quarterback on game day.
Now, this doesn't mean the 6-foot-2 and 218-pound hurler who threw for 9,857 yards and 85 touchdowns over his six-year collegiate career (also including stops at SMU and Oklahoma) will have a Purdy-like ascent into a starting role.
That said, Purdy took full advantage of the opportunity thrown his way.
Mordecai now needs to take advantage of his.