Purdy Good

 

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When the 49ers drafted Brock Purdy with the very last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, they never could've imagined that this would be the result. All of the franchises stock had been invested in top pick Trey Lance. So much so that the organization had basically made it known to Jimmy G (who just led the team to an NFC Championship appearance) that they were openly looking to trade him. That was the plan. But when Trey Lance suffered a serious season ending ankle injury in week 2 everything changed. The once scorned Jimmy G was in line to be QB1 for the niners once again, music to the 49er faithful and why wouldn't it be? Like I said he just led the team to an NFC championship appearance and damn near Super Bowl berth.

And that would have been a good enough script for the 49ers this year. But again the injury bug bit the niners and bit them hard as in week 13, Garropolo went down with a broken foot and was ruled out for the season. Right when the niners were catching their stride and riding a 4 game win streak, QB #2 goes down. Insert Brock Purdy, the Iowa State 7th round draft pick who nobody expected anything from. And my god were we all incredibly wrong. Here are Purdy's stats in the regular season and postseason:

REGULAR SEASON (6-0):

114/170 for 1,374 yards 13 TD's & 4 INT's

POSTSEASON (2-0):

37/59 for 546 yards 3 TD's 0 INT's

For starters, the poise this kid is showing is truly remarkable. He has virtually played the same way since he was thrown into the starting role and is doing exactly what he needs to do to be successful. Easier said than done! This is what I see:

1. He's not forcing throws or trying to win the game on his own accord

    -This has been the catalyst to his success thus far. Far too often rookies will immediately try to make their mark in the NFL and try to force the big play to happen when that's not what the defense is giving you. Purdy has done an incredible job of relying on the talent around him to illustrate his success. When you're surrounded by elite athletes like Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle, that's exactly what you need to do. Get the ball to them in space and let them do their thing.

2. The moment isn't too big for him

    -Again this points to the poise that Purdy has showed consistently through his rookie campaign. He doesn't play like a wide-eyed "oh my god I can't believe I'm starting an NFL game" guy. He looks like he confidently feels like he belongs out there and that's exactly how you have to be. As a 7th round pick just trying to make the team it would be easy to feel overwhelmed or succumb to the pressure of NOT being the reason for your team losing, but he has maintained composure and that continues to show in his play.

3. Kyle Shanahan deserves a lot of credit

    -This system that Purdy is playing in has a lot to do with his success as well. The structure that the niners had in place pre-Brock Purdy is what makes this organization one of the best in the NFL. It's insane that they plugged in a 7th round pick to their starting offense and its working. That doesn't happen on most teams in the NFL. Purdy deserves credit for performing on the big stage but you also have to give credit to Shanahan for putting him in those positions to execute.

If we get down to the brass tax here this is a Brock Purdy appreciation blog. The 49ers season could have very well been dead in the water if Purdy didn't rise to the occasion like he has. But he did and now he will travel to Philadelphia for the NFC Championship and look to make history again. Can you imagine if Brock Purdy leads this team to a Super Bowl appearance??? What an unbelievable underdog story that would be. Even to reach this point is just bananas.

Regardless, I think Purdy has made a name for himself and will be on a different team once the 2023 season begins. The 49ers have too much money invested in Lance to not see that through and Purdy has been so successful he's going to drive a high price on the trade market for a team that needs a starting quarterback. But for now, he's riding out one of the most unexpected, historic starts to an NFL career maybe ever and it's awesome to watch. The Eagles will be a tremendous test for him but there's no test he hasn't passed to date. 

-Peanut