“You get Brock Purdy, which has been kind of, I wouldn’t say elephant in the room, but he’s been a pleasant surprise to everybody in the building when you think about getting the last pick of the draft, a quarterback who’s somewhat undersized, but from the minute he stepped in, I looked at him, like, man, this guy — you can see the confidence, like, spewing out of him. And it’s not arrogance, it’s just confidence”.
NFL Linemen Trent Williams on Brock Purdy
- The image above was taken from USA Today’s For The Win
For some, being irrelevant can be demoralizing. Whether it’s at school, in the workplace, or even among your group of friends, that feeling of fading in the background and losing your voice doesn’t sit well with most people. However, you have a choice when it comes to being irrelevant; you could speak up, learn to not rely on others for happiness, or reconfigure your situation altogether. However, not everyone has that liberty of choice. Sometimes, we have to play the hand that we are dealt, and make the most out of it.
Today, we look at the story of Brock Purdy: The man who rose from Irrelevancy. He is the starting Quarterback for the San Fransico 49ers at just 23 years old, and he is currently playing the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL divisional round as this article is being written. Brock Purdy’s rise to relevancy is something to admire and should be talked about more when it comes to today’s NFL.
The College Darkhorse
- The image above was taken from Wide Right & Natty Lite
Before he was taking play calls from Kyle Shanahan, Brock Purdy was the starting QB for the Iowa State Cyclones. Coming out of high school as a three-star recruit, Brock Purdy had a couple of offers from Division-I schools such as Alabama, UCF, and Texas A&M just to name a few. However, when Purdy would go on visits the coaches weren’t impressed with his intangibility. For example, Alabama head coach Nick Saban said that he was “Below average height” and had “Whatever arm strength”. However, Brock’s enormous potential and good character landed him in the hands of Matt Campbell and the Cyclones, where he would thrive in their offense. After a stellar performance as a third-string QB in his freshman year of college, throwing for over 2,000 yards and 16 touchdowns, Purdy would be named the starter the following season. He continued to have the hot hand, as the team would put up a record-breaking 500 yards against Louisiana-Monroe, with Purdy himself breaking the school record for most consecutive touchdowns, over 12 games.
By the end of his tenure as a college Quarterback, Purdy would be named a three-time all-big 12 QB, hold 32 school records, and play with the likes of Breece Hall and Eyioma Uwazurike (future NFL talent) when it was all said and done. With a bitter-sweet senior season, passing for over 3,000 yards and 19 touchdowns, he was now ready to enter the NFL draft in hopes that he would be a day 2-3 pick. However, Purdy didn’t know what was coming and he couldn’t do anything to stop it.
Mr. Irrelevant
- The image above was taken from Longhorns Wire
Brock Purdy would be the sixth-ever Quarterback, to be drafted with the last pick in the NFL draft making him Mr. Irrelevant. Many QBs such as Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder, Sam Howell, and Matt Corral were all taken before him. Even though Purdy was good on paper, a couple of factors were holding him back from being drafted in the earlier rounds. His size was below average compared to NFL QBs, the division he was playing in wasn’t very competitive, and his accuracy was all over the place when scouts would watch his game tape during his time at Iowa State.
Even though it can be disappointing to be picked last in a draft filled with stellar talent, this would be the start of Brock Purdy’s journey to the starting position in San Francisco. The Bay area was getting a culture shock, and it was right under their noses. However, Purdy would need to prove himself in training camp, as he would be stepping into a heated QB room.
Stepping up to the Pros
- The image above was taken from CNN
Brock Purdy would be coming into San Fransisco, trying to win over a locker room filled with two experienced QBs: Trey Lance and Jimmy Garappolo. Even though Lance had some injury problems coming off of the tail end of last season, he was supposed to be the next leader for the 49ers on offense, after Jimmy Garappolo eventually moves on. However, that was not the case because Garappolo was the main man for the 9ers, until week 14.
During week 14, Garappolo sustained an injury to his foot, making him unable to play the rest of the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Everyone thought Lance would step into the role, but surprisingly Brock Purdy took the reigns and marched onto the field, leading the 9ers to a 35-7 win over Tampa Bay. Purdy would throw for two touchdowns and 182 yards, completing 16/21 passing attempts in his first-ever career start.
From there, Purdy would mass tons of media attention over the coming weeks, as he became the 5th rookie QB ever to win in 4 consecutive starts. From there, everyone knew that Trey Lance would lose the starting QB battle, as Purdy had won over the entire locker room by week 16. He continued to maintain his starting role and seems to have locked in his spot on the roster for next season.
Final Thoughts
Brock Purdy still has a lot to prove in the NFL. However, you cannot ignore what he has achieved so far. He became the 7th QB to win a playoff game in his rookie season, maintained a solid passing rating of around 112, and has surpassed all expectations, with many drawing a comparison between him and Brady. Despite his size, accuracy concerns, and NFL playstyle worries, Purdy rose above all of the doubt and proved everyone wrong.
However, it is important to note that Brock Purdy’s story can be applied to everyday situations. Purdy embodies confidence and shows that you can make it out of the struggle despite your situation and the environment surrounding it. Whatever hand you are dealt with, you must play with and never forfeit by any means necessary.
We here at Condensed Media cannot wait to see what Purdy does next, and we are very excited for the future of the San Francisco 49ers because they have an extraordinary talent on their hands.
- The image above was taken from TubeWP
Thanks for reading this short article! Any feedback is appreciated!
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