All 32 NFL teams passed on Brock Purdy multiple times in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The San Francisco 49ers then decided to select him with the 262nd and final pick in the seventh round, earning Purdy the “Mr. Irrelevant” nickname. And thankfully San Francisco did, as Purdy is perhaps the most relevant player on the 49ers’ roster, since he’s their starting quarterback.
Purdy was a guest on former NFL coach Jason Garrett’s “Coach 2 Coach Podcast” and asked what traits he believes are most important in a quarterback. Purdy said, “I think someone who knows who they are… You’re gonna face so much playing the position of quarterback, good and bad. And a guy who knows who they are, who’s a competitor… I feel like those are the guys that have lasted long.”
Purdy was then asked what he thinks NFL evaluators missed during the draft process. “I don’t know if it was the height. ‘If he’s short, and can he run really fast?’ Or Does he have an extremely strong arm? What’s the trait? I don’t know if my college tape necessarily showed all those flashy things that some of these high draft picks show.”
“But something that they missed was probably the experience that I had.
“The situational football, the way that I process the game, the way that I lead the locker room. If you asked my teammates at Iowa State, who I was, and as a leader of men, maybe that’s something that was overlooked. But I really do believe those are the things that translated into the NFL. And once I got my opportunity, then I feel like I have those traits,” he added.
Purdy has proven that he has those traits in spades. And San Francisco will need his leadership and experience if they’re to reach their goal of winning a Super Bowl this season.
