San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 NFL draft, aka “Mr. Irrelevant,” has guided the Niners within four quarters of the Super Bowl.
The former Iowa State Cyclones star has done it with a poise and moxie usually associated with veterans. He just believes in his talents, and no one is going to convince him that he doesn’t belong on this stage.
Not even legendary Alabama Crimson Tide head coach, Nick Saban, who recruited Purdy and even offered him a scholarship, but only after the Crimson Tide missed out on coveted, Emory Jones who chose Florida.
The offer also came after a pretty unflattering assessment of Purdy by Saban.
Nick Saban Disses Brock Purdy
During an interview with The Athletic, Preston Jones, Purdy’s high school coach said he was surprised by Saban’s remarks.
“Brock told me, ‘He really didn’t know me, coach’,” Jones said. According to Purdy, “[Saban said], “You’re below average in height. Your arm strength is whatever. Your accuracy is average.”
And as soon he mentioned the accuracy, Brock knew right away “‘This guy doesn’t know me,’ Because, if anything, that’s his strength. He goes, ‘Coach, he didn’t know who I was.’”
Grateful to have received a full ride offer to the University of Alabama!!🏈 #RollTide pic.twitter.com/ZO0m9pZqKR
— Brock Purdy (@brockpurdy13) January 17, 2018
Purdy Has Been Better Than Expected
Since being thrust into action following the season-ending injury to Jimmy Garoppolo, Purdy has looked like anything but a rookie. The former Cyclones star has displayed a rare blend of mistake-free playmaking and poise under duress.
Currently on a 12-game winning streak, seven coming with Purdy under center, the Niners are now one win from reaching their second Super Bowl in four seasons. The trust that head coach Kyle Shanahan has shown in the rookie is a huge reason why they’re in this position. On a team with the league’s best defense under the direction of top head coach candidate DeMeco Ryans, the loss of Garoppolo didn’t make the Niners feel as if they needed to make a splash acquisition to keep their Super Sunday hopes alive.
And an offense with the likes of Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and an offensive line anchored by left tackle Trent Williams, turning to Purdy wasn’t that hard of a decision.
“I felt that way from the beginning, once he got in that game versus Miami, we didn’t have the luxury to sit there and worry about stuff the way that game was going” Shanahan told reporters this month. “We just had to call plays to try to win the game and he did such a hell of a job and he’s done it every time since, so we have a lot of confidence in him and he gives us more and more confidence each week.”
Who Had Purdy Versus Hurts In NFC Title Game?
Coming into the 2022 season, not many could’ve predicted that on Championship Sunday in the NFC the two teams would be led by Brock Purdy and Jalen Hurts. One was told he wasn’t good enough and the other was told he’d never be more than a running quarterback. Well, that narrative has changed with these two former Big 12 quarterbacks going at it once again.
.@JalenHurts vs. @BrockPurdy13 on 11/9/19:
Hurts:
➕ 341 total yards
➕ 5 total TDsPurdy:
➕337 total yards
➕6 total TDs@OU_Football: 42@CycloneFB: 41They'll meet in the NFC Championship Game next week 🍿 pic.twitter.com/bUhiG8CAHi
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) January 23, 2023
As a football fan one could only hope it’s like their one matchup in college, a 42-41 Oklahoma win that saw the two signal-callers combine for a total of 11 touchdowns.
