Much of the offseason discussion surrounding the San Francisco 49ers has centered around the massive pay raise Brock Purdy is about to receive. But it's easy to forget how the team ended up with him as their starting quarterback in the first place.
NFL.com's Tom Blair recently compiled a list of the best quarterback additions of the past five years. When it comes to those acquired through the draft, Purdy easily stands out as the best Day 3 pick.
Blair states that the 49ers "got ludicrously lucky" landing Purdy as their starter. After all, he was the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. That's hardly the easiest path to a starting role. While first-round selections often get immediate opportunities, Purdy had to fight just to secure a roster spot, making the most of every chance to impress the coaching staff.
"The Niners went into the draft with an established vet (Jimmy Garoppolo), a previous high draft pick (Trey Lance) and ready-made roster fodder (Nate Sudfeld) in the fold," Blair explained. "They could have counted up to three on the QB depth chart and decided not to spend even the minimal possible amount of extra capital on the position, even if they'd been intending to trade Garoppolo, who had undergone shoulder surgery that March, during the offseason."
The decision to use the last overall pick on Purdy paid off. Had he gone undrafted, who knows where he might have landed?
Purdy did enough in his first offseason to convince the 49ers that exposing him to waivers in an attempt to stash him on the practice squad wasn't worth the risk.
Last year, San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York recalled a moment from Brock Purdy's first training camp when head coach Kyle Shanahan pulled him aside.
"And he's like, 'I think our third-string quarterback is our best quarterback,'" York said.
Shanahan reassured York that the team wouldn't make any immediate changes to the depth chart but added, "I think Brock will end up being our quarterback at some point."
Purdy ended up securing a spot on the 53-man roster—a move that proved crucial that season. Injuries to Lance and Garoppolo forced Shanahan to insert Purdy into the starting lineup as a rookie, and he hasn't relinquished the job since.
Now, the 49ers are working to sign Purdy to a contract extension, further cementing their commitment to him as their franchise quarterback. While debates over Purdy's value continue, there's little doubt the 49ers would be worse off had they not risked a late-round pick on him.
"Purdy's rise must seem brutally unfair to teams that have been fruitlessly searching for a viable QB for years," Blair added. "No one is likely to ever repeat San Francisco's exact path to Purdy -- but teams can keep taking swings at the position, even when they seemingly have one (or more!) options on hand already."
