The San Francisco 49ers have made the news quite a bit over the past few weeks. Most of that stemmed from what would they do with 2021 No. 3 overall pick in quarterback Trey Lance. That was decided on Friday when the team surprisingly traded Lance to the rival Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick.
Now, with the team fully behind 2022 seventh-round pick Brock Purdy as their starter going forward, the attention turns to can the team who’s lost in the NFC title game the past two seasons get over the hump and advance to the Super Bowl.
With one of the best and most complete rosters in the league, the Niners are one of the top two teams in the NFC, along with the Philadelphia Eagles. But not everyone is sold on the Niners, including former NFL receiver Plaxico Burress.
Niners Overrated? Burress Believes So
During a recent appearance on “The Carton Show,” Burress let it be known that he isn’t sold on the Niners.
“I’ll go on record and say I think the San Francisco 49ers are overrated,” Burress said. “The Seahawks have a chance to win the division. We haven’t seen Brock Purdy go through any adversity. What happens if the 49ers lose 2-3 games in a row, what’s going to be his mentality going forward?”
Burress calling the Niners overrated is a huge stretch when you consider the team has been on the doorstep of the last two Super Bowls and played in one just four seasons ago.
Purdy Was Good When Called Upon In 2022
For Burress to say Purdy didn’t have to deal with much adversity isn’t really true. There were moments in the team’s first two playoff games where Purdy had to make plays in close contested battles. And he did just that. Not bad for the final pick of the 2022 NFL draft, or Mr. Irrelevant as he’s known.
Purdy’s 2022 season consisted nearly 1,400 yards passing, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. He was so good in his limited late-season action that he finished third in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
The belief is he’ll be even better in 2023 with a year in the system and getting all those crucial in-game reps in 2022.
Burress may dislike the Niners, but they are far from overrated.
