[New post] 49ers’ last-pick Purdy magic has inspired NFL to dig in on this year’s late-round QBs
gqlshare posted: "SANTA CLARA — One year ago, Brock Purdy's phone rang, he retreated into his parents' bedroom to take the call, then faked out his family by pretending it was just another team looking to sign him if he went undrafted.It was the 49ers calling. They w" Daily Democrat
SANTA CLARA — One year ago, Brock Purdy's phone rang, he retreated into his parents' bedroom to take the call, then faked out his family by pretending it was just another team looking to sign him if he went undrafted.
It was the 49ers calling. They would select him with the 262nd and final pick in the NFL Draft. Nine months later, Purdy directed them to eight straight wins, before his elbow got hurt and they lost the NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia.
Purdy's stunning breakout has a carryover effect on this coming NFL Draft.
The 49ers are enamored with Purdy, and they envision him as their long-term starter, as long as his surgically repaired elbow recovers by fall, as expected. (That arm showed nice range of motion Friday night as he acknowledged fans who gave him a standing ovation while attending the San Francisco Giants' game, seated near home plate with a few 49ers offensive linemen.)
Purdy is the NFL's latest case study that not all worthy quarterbacks must be first-round picks. Tom Brady, of course, provided that searing reminder the previous two decades, having been picked No. 199 in 2000 before winning seven Super Bowl rings.
Daniel Jeremiah, the NFL Network's draft expert, said teams will seek out "the traits that made Purdy a hit," at least when it comes to the lower wave of quarterback prospects. Jeremiah included Fresno State's Jake Haener, Stanford's Tanner McKee and UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson in that group. All three of those quarterbacks worked out in recent weeks for the 49ers, who painfully learned last season the need for a deep bullpen.
"Teams are going to place a lot more premium on the traits that (Purdy) possessed in terms of accuracy, intelligence, decision-making, and more than anything else, I think the fact that he has played a lot of football," Jeremiah said on a media conference call.
Indeed, Purdy's four years as Iowa State's starter were cited as a major plus when the 49ers selected him, one spot before he could have picked his own destination as a free agent.
Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy (15) warms up before the Cheez-It Bowl NCAA college football game against Clemson, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
"Brock Purdy could have been a fifth- or sixth-round pick and nobody would have argued," ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. said on a recent conference call. "He happened to be Mr. Irrelevant. If he was an undrafted free agent, he still would be doing what he did right now.
"The 49ers were fortunate to get his rights with that last pick, or else he becomes an undrafted free agent who could go anywhere," Kiper added. "That was a stroke of genius just drafting him."
Bill Walsh's genius tendencies led him to draft Joe Montana at the end of the third round in 1979. The Packers took Hall of Famer Bart Starr in Round 17 in 1956. Johnny Unitas was a ninth-round pick in 1955 by the Steelers, who cut him before his rookie season and allowed the Colts to rekindle his career a year later.
If those predecessors couldn't convince teams that late-round picks shouldn't be regarded lightly, then Purdy is the latest reminder.
"He was a guy we knew early that was our No. 1 free agent we were going to go after, and when you get through there and they haven't been drafted and we got the last pick, we thought it was perfect," 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said last April 30 after the draft.
"I mean, the guy has played a lot of football, plays the game the right way, is extremely tough, gets the ball to the right spot, plays very well in the pocket," Shanahan added, "and a guy who can come in here and help fill out this roster and give himself a chance to make a team."
That is a path Haener (Monte Vista High-Danville) is determined to follow, once he gets drafted, which he expects to happen between the third and fifth rounds.
"People can measure the big, strong, tall guys who can throw the ball great and throw it out of the stadium but at the end of the day you've got to win football games," Haener said at the 49ers' local pro day April 12. "… I'll get a chance somewhere and if I spin the ball the way I can, I don't think there's any reason I can't succeed at this level."
Jeremiah, NFL Network's draft czar, said teams generally view late draft spots in two categories:
1. Established players without ideal measurables in terms of size and speed2. Draft-and-develop projects who are the biggest, fastest guys
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) runs against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium on January 01, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)
The 49ers own 11 picks in this draft, with none in the first two rounds. Purdy, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold are in their quarterback room, presuming Lance doesn't draw a massive trade offer. If the 49ers use a pick on a quarterback, he'll be a project, possibly just a camp arm and a roster long-shot. Then again, so was Purdy last spring.
When Purdy showed up at rookie minicamp 12 days after he was drafted, he came with a steely resolve, saying he'd promptly learn Kyle Shanahan's offense because "that's the type of player and person I am, to be able to learn quick."
He proved a quick study. Once injuries shelved Lance (the No. 3 overall pick in 2021) and Jimmy Garoppolo (the 49ers' otherwise starter since December 2017), Purdy got to show his stuff. Here came the 6-foot-1 kid who was an Arizona high school star, an Iowa State four-year starter, and a 49ers training camp sleeper who beat out Nate Sudfeld.
Asked on the eve of rookie minicamp what assets got overlooked in the draft, Purdy replied: "Maybe the craftiness I play with and extending plays. I have the mentality I always feel I can make something out of nothing in a sense when something breaks down in a play. Other than that, it's being consistent and doing my job."
A truer scouting report could not have been written by the NFL's personnel czars.
A sampling of the media's scouting reports on Purdy a year ago:
"Purdy is sharp and athletic with a productive resume, but he is undersized with unremarkable physical tools, forcing him to be perfect with his accuracy and timing. He projects as a potential NFL backup with a Colt McCoy-like ceiling. GRADE: Priority Free Agent." – Dane Brugler, The Athletic.
"Purdy is a burly pocket quarterback who needs a play-action-based offense where he can rely on timing over release quickness and arm strength. … He's a scrappy runner but not dynamic enough to make up for his shortcomings as a passer." – Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
"Purdy is a smaller quarterback with average arm strength and above-average pocket mobility. He extends plays, finds receivers late and makes platform throws. He holds onto the ball too long and his ball security needs to get better." – ESPN's Kiper, who ranked Purdy 16th among 17 QBs.
"Purdy is a prospect that will be best steved in an offense that doesn't have to push the ball vertically, but an offense that would rather the quarterback get the ball out of his hands quickly on short-to-intermediate routes." – TheDraftNetwork.com
"He has above-average athleticism and an above-average arm. Still, neither of those traits are elite. In fact, one could argue that Purdy has no elite traits." – Ian Cummings, ProFootballNetwork.com.
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