Brock Purdy

Brock Purdy (born December 27, 1999) is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa State and was selected by the 49ers with the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, becoming Mr. Irrelevant.
After being named the third-string quarterback to start his rookie season, injuries to quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo propelled Purdy into the starting role. He won all five regular season games he started, contributing to the team’s ten-game winning streak that advanced the 49ers to a division title and an NFC Championship Game appearance, becoming just one of five rookie quarterbacks to start in a conference championship game. Owing to his draft pick and his performances in the latter stage of the season, he would be dubbed "Mr. Relevant" by the 49ers and other outlets.
Early years
Purdy was born on December 27, 1999, in Queen Creek, Arizona. He played high school football for Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona. He is the middle child of Shawn and Carrie Purdy. Shawn was a Minor League Baseball player for eight seasons. Brock's older sister, Whittney Purdy, played softball at Southeastern University, and reportedly "would frustrate" Brock when they were children because she was able to out throw him. Their younger brother Chubba Purdy later became the starting quarterback at Perry before being recruited to Florida State as a dual-threat quarterback.
High school career
Purdy started his varsity football career during the 2015 season as a sophomore for the newly opened Perry High School. In 2016, the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) adjusted the athletic regions, placing Perry in the 6A Division Premier Region, ranked as the sixth toughest region in the nation. Purdy's performance elevated Perry into the 6A Division AIA State Championship game in 2016 and 2017, losing 65–28 and 48–42 respectively, both to Chandler High School.
During his tenure, Purdy began to establish himself as a football power in Arizona, competing against Chandler Unified School District's more established powerhouse programs such as Chandler High (0–5), Hamilton (4–2), and Basha (2–1). Overall, Purdy achieved a 27–13 record at Perry. He was named Gatorade's Football Player of the Year and was The Arizona Republic high school football player of the year.
Purdy was considered a three-star prospect by 247Sports. He signed his letter of intent to commit to Iowa State University on February 7, 2018, enrolling in June of the same year.
College career
2018 season
Purdy entered his freshman year at Iowa State in 2018 as the third string to Kyle Kempt and Zeb Noland. He became the starter after Kempt was injured and Noland was ineffective. Overall, he started eight games, completing 146 of 220 passes for 2,250 yards, 16 touchdowns, and seven interceptions for what would prove to be a career-best 169.9 passer rating (sixth best in all NCAA football), and compiling a 7–2 record for the Cyclones. In addition, he rushed for 308 yards and five touchdowns.
2019 season
During Purdy's sophomore season, he started all 13 games, compiling a 7–6 record. The year was highlighted by 435 yards and a school record 510 total yards, along with three touchdowns against Louisiana-Monroe, five passing and one rushing touchdown in a close 42–41 loss to the then number 9 Oklahoma Sooners, and 372 yards with three passing and one rushing touchdowns in a win over Kansas. He passed for a touchdown in 12 consecutive games and completed 39 passes against a single team, Oklahoma State—both school records. Purdy also led the Big-12 in passing yards with 3,982 and was third in total touchdowns, 27 of them passing, which shattered George Amundson's 41-year-old school record of 24 total touchdowns.
2020 season
During Purdy's junior year, he had less flashy statistics, but the emergence of running back Breece Hall led the Cyclones to a 9–3 record (tied with the 2000 season for the best record in program history) and a number 9 national ranking, their highest in school history dating to 1895. Purdy had three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 45–0 shutout of Kansas State, followed two weeks later by completing 20 of 23 passes for three touchdowns and rushing for 38 yards and another touchdown in a 42–6 victory over West Virginia. In the Fiesta Bowl, Purdy passed and rushed for a touchdown in a 34–17 win over Oregon.
2021 season
In his 2021 senior year, Purdy and Hall again led the Cyclones to a 7–6 record, highlighted by 307 yards and two touchdowns in a 24–21 victory over number 8 Oklahoma State. Purdy also had 356 yards and three touchdowns against Texas Tech, but Iowa State lost in a 41–38 shootout. The season was a disappointment to an Iowa State team ranked number 7 entering the season, but Purdy's 71.7 percent completion percentage and 3,188 yards again led the Big-12.
Purdy ended his time at Iowa State as a three-time All-Big-12 quarterback, holding 32 school records including career pass attempts, completions, percentage, yards, and both passing (81) and total (100) touchdowns. His 14 games with 300-plus passing yards was nearly triple the previous school record of five by Bret Meyer. Purdy's four years at Iowa State corresponded with the first time the school's football program had seen four consecutive winning seasons since 1923–1927.
Statistics
Professional career
The San Francisco 49ers selected Purdy with the final pick (262nd overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft, making him that year's Mr. Irrelevant. The Athletic later obtained the scouting report of another NFL team that evaluated Purdy but opted not to draft him; the report described Purdy as experienced and "works through his progressions very well" but "not a very good athlete...limited arm, both in strength and throw repertoire." After observing Purdy's subsequent performance in his first NFL season, the coach who authored the report told The Athletic that while Purdy's record in college was impressive, "The requirement to juke people and outrun people in college is a lot lower than it is in the NFL... In college, they might be able to outrun that D-end or pull away from that linebacker, but they got hawked down in the NFL. But Purdy has kinda maintained that and almost surpassed his level of agility in the NFL." The coach indicated that Purdy's performance in his first NFL season would likely have warranted being drafted in the second or third round, saying: "We undervalued his agility and probably the mental side, and San Francisco is perfect for it because they put a lot of importance on that because of their offense."
Former 49er quarterback and Hall of Fame member Steve Young opined that Purdy was overlooked in the draft because his calmness under pressure would not have been apparent: "...the [quarterback] position is really about guile and an innate gift from heaven, in some ways, to be able to have your heart rate go down when everyone else is in anxiety and pressure... But in the NFL, very few are naturally at peace. And that's why when I compare him to Patrick Mahomes, I'm comparing him to how Patrick feels at peace. We all grew into it. Some guys just show up. Patrick showed up at peace, and so did Brock. The draft doesn't understand that thing."
2022 season
Trey Lance was named the starter over Jimmy Garoppolo for the 2022 season, making Purdy the third string quarterback, but Lance appeared in only two games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2. On October 23, 2022, Purdy relieved Garoppolo on the 49ers' last drive in the quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs, throwing for 66 yards and an interception in the 44–23 loss. On December 4, in the first quarter of the 49ers' Week 13 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, Garoppolo suffered a foot injury, causing the 49ers to call upon Purdy once again. Purdy performed efficiently, and finished the game completing 25-of-37 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns—one to running back Christian McCaffrey and one to fullback Kyle Juszczyk—and one interception in a 33–17 win. Purdy became the first 'Mr. Irrelevant' to throw a touchdown pass in a regular season game. Following Garoppolo's injury, Purdy was named the 49ers' starting quarterback for the remainder of the 2022 season. On December 11, Purdy became the only quarterback in his first career start to beat a team led by Tom Brady, when the 49ers defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35–7. Purdy finished the game with 185 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, along with a 2-yard rushing touchdown. After the game, the 49ers sent out a tweet dubbing Purdy "Mr. Relevant".
In the following game against the Seattle Seahawks, Purdy and the 49ers won the matchup and the NFC West division by a score of 21–13. He had 17-for-26 passing with 217 yards and two touchdowns, both to George Kittle, in the win. Purdy became the second player in NFL history, after Aaron Rodgers, to record a cumulative quarterback rating of 115 or greater in his first two starts. Next, during Week 16 against the Washington Commanders, Purdy finished with 234 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception as the 49ers won 37–20. In a Week 17 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, Purdy led the 49ers to a 37–34 overtime victory. He finished the game with 284 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and one interception. On January 12, 2023, the NFL named Purdy as the NFC's Rookie of the Month for December and January.
Purdy finished the regular season throwing for 1,374 yards for thirteen touchdowns and four interceptions, winning all five of his starts and leading the 49ers to the second seed in the playoffs. Purdy's passer rating of 119.4 through his five starts is the highest for a quarterback in his first five starts since Kurt Warner in 1999.
In the 49ers' Wild Card game on January 14, 2023, against the Seattle Seahawks, Purdy became the first 49ers rookie quarterback to start and win a playoff game, while putting him 6–0 in career starts. In the game, he completed 18-of-30 passes for 332 yards and scored four total touchdowns, the most by a rookie quarterback in a playoff game. With this victory, he also became the lowest-drafted quarterback to start and win a playoff game, and became the first rookie quarterback since Sammy Baugh in 1937 to have at least 200 pass yards and two pass scores in a playoff win. This also made him the first rookie quarterback to do so since the AFL–NFL merger. With the 49ers' subsequent victory in the divisional round against the Dallas Cowboys, Purdy became the third quarterback since 1970 to win two playoff games in his rookie season. Although throwing no touchdowns in this game, Purdy completed 19-of-29 passes for 214 yards, which also made him the first rookie quarterback since 1970 to throw over 200 yards in consecutive NFL postseason games.
During the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles on January 29, Purdy suffered an injury to his right elbow. He was replaced by Josh Johnson. Following Johnson's concussion in the third quarter, Purdy reentered the game, though he would only throw two more passes; he was primarily tasked with handing off the ball to his teammates. The 49ers would go on to lose 31–7. Purdy was diagnosed with a complete tear of his ulnar collateral ligament, which rendered him unable to throw the ball more than 10 yards.
2023 season
Due to his successful recovery from injury, Purdy was named the starting quarterback for the first week of the 2023 season, over Sam Darnold and Trey Lance, who was later traded. During Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Purdy completed 19-of-29 passing attempts for 220 yards, two touchdowns (both to Brandon Aiyuk), and a passer rating of 111.3. With the 49ers win and two touchdown passes on the day, Purdy became the first quarterback in NFL history to win his first six career regular season starts and throw at least two touchdown passes in each of those starts. With a passer rating of 111.3, Purdy also became the first quarterback in NFL history to register a passer rating of 95.0-or-higher in each of his first six career regular season starts. During Week 4 playing the Arizona Cardinals, Purdy completed 20 of 21 passes, setting a new 49er franchise record for highest single game completion rate of 95.2%. The prior 49er record of 90% had been set by Steve Young in Week 8 of the 1991 season. In Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys, Purdy completed 17 of 24 passing attempts for 252 yards and four touchdowns. With this victory, Purdy became the fourth quarterback in NFL history (after Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady) to lead a team that scored 30 points or more in at least 8 consecutive regular season games.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Postseason
Highlights and awards
2x NFC Rookie of the Month (December, January) (2022)
PFWA All-Rookie Team (2022)
NFL records
First Mr. Irrelevant to throw a touchdown pass in a regular season game
Only quarterback in his first career start to beat a team led by Tom Brady
Second quarterback in NFL history to record a passer rating of 115 or greater in his first two starts (after Aaron Rodgers)
First quarterback in NFL history to win his first six career starts and throw at least two touchdown passes in each of those starts
First quarterback in NFL history to register a passer rating of 95.0-or-higher in each of his first six career starts
Set fourth-highest single game completion rate, 95.2%, of any quarterback attempting at least 20 passes in NFL history on October 1, 2023 in a 35–16 win over the Arizona Cardinals
NFL playoffs records
Lowest-drafted quarterback to start and win a playoff game
First rookie quarterback since the AFL–NFL merger to throw over 200 yards in consecutive NFL postseason games
49ers franchise records
First rookie quarterback to start in and win a playoff game
95.2% single game completion rate, completing 20 of 21 passes for 283 yards and 1 touchdown in a 35–16 win over the Arizona Cardinals on October 1, 2023; surpassed Steve Young's franchise record of 90% completion rate set on October 20, 1991 against the Detroit Lions.
Personal life
Purdy is a Christian. He has said, "Every time I playno matter what happensI want others to see God through my actions. Every time I step on the field I want to bring Him glory. Even when we lose, I point to God and thank Him for the opportunity. Everything happens for a reason; it's all a lesson from the Lord. It's a game, it's not my life."
Purdy is engaged to Jenna Brandt.
Purdy grew up a Miami Dolphins fan, and wears number 13 in honor of Dan Marino.
As of his first season in the NFL, Purdy lived with fellow 49er offensive linemen Nick Zakelj and Alfredo Gutiérrez. Their joint holiday card in 2022 went viral on social media after being displayed in the 49ers' locker room. In an interview during the following 2023 season, Purdy disclosed that he was still living with Zakelj.
Notes
References
External links
San Francisco 49ers bio
Iowa State Cyclones bio
1999 births
Living people
American Christians
American football quarterbacks
Iowa State Cyclones football players
Sportspeople from Gilbert, Arizona
Players of American football from Maricopa County, Arizona
San Francisco 49ers players