The 6 biggest 49ers NFL Draft steals of the last decade
Let's take a look at the best draft steals the 49ers have had there in the last decade.
By John Porter
QB Brock Purdy, Round 7 (2022)
You didn't think I'd forgotten him, did you?
Put aside the noise, the shrieking media hysteria about his talent or lack thereof, ignore the scheme questions just for a moment, and mute Colin Cowherd (you should consider doing that more regularly anyway).
Is Brock Purdy elite? Yes, but that's for another day, and it doesn't matter here. Just consider this.
When we talk about Purdy, we're talking about a player who was drafted with the very last pick in the draft, yet he has started 21 regular-season games, thrown an astonishing 44 touchdowns at an unbelieveably efficient rate, and helped his team get to one NFC Championship game and one Super Bowl.
He's systematically wiped out a dreadful trade-up for Trey Lance, extended the team's Super Bowl window as a result, and cured all our anxiety at seeing a 49ers quarterback throw over the middle.
Given the position he was picked in, given the low expectations placed upon him shortly thereafter (there were many who were surprised and even annoyed that he beat out Nate Sudfeld, a regular Scott Hatteberg of an NFL quarterback), and various other aspects that make this story such an unlikely Hollywood tale, what the 49ers have received in turn for this pick frankly stretches the bounds of credulity.
He's the biggest draft steal of the last decade for San Francisco, and when all's said and done, he'll be one of the biggest of all time.