The NFL team had a brave two-word review of Purdy during the draft, which originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Almost every team in the NFL declined to pick Brock Purdy in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Except for one of course.
Before Purdy was picked by the 49ers as Mr. Irrelevant with the #262 pick, the former Iowa State quarterback was once an afterthought for most teams in the draft.
The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman reviewed a preliminary scouting report from an NFL team that — after completing its evaluation last spring — gave Purdy a two-week final draft grade:
“NO INTEREST”
In retrospect, this assessment seems foolish.
Since taking on injured Jimmy Garoppolo against the Miami Dolphins in Week 13, Purdy has statistically been one of the best quarterbacks in the league and helped propel the 49ers to an appearance in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial lead field.
However, prior to the draft, Purdy was considered unconvincing by many teams. The hits on the then 22-year-old were that he was “sawed off”, “not a very good athlete” and “had a limited arm, both in terms of strength and throwing repertoire”, as per the scouting report obtained from The Report emerges Sporty.
These are reviews Purdy has heard for years. In fact, after his senior season at Perry High School, University of Alabama coach Nick Saban once told Purdy, a then-recruit, what he was missing as a quarterback.
“You are below average height. Your arm strength doesn’t matter. Your accuracy is average,” Saban told Purdy in 2018.
Fast forward to the draft, and Purdy’s greatest strength was that he was a “very” seasoned college quarterback after 48 starts at Iowa State. Purdy was considered a good game manager, consistently making routine games, being creative as games expanded and “working through his progression very well,” according to The Athletic’s reporting.
The story goes on
When asked what the difference was between Purdy’s college film and now with the 49ers, the unnamed coach who wrote the team’s first scouting report noted Purdy’s athleticism.
“I don’t remember him moving like that in Iowa state and he didn’t test well. He jumped 27 inches, which is awful. He ran 4.85 (4.84),” the coach told The Athletic. “He has short arms, really short, and he has small hands. He’s 6-1 and his arm is fine. The twitch just wasn’t really there. His short shuttle was fine – 4.45 – not outstanding.”
The same coach also mentions that the 49ers’ heavy use of the pre-snap movement is one reason Purdy has been so successful at processing information under center.
“We underestimated his agility and probably the mental side and San Francisco is perfect for that because they value it a lot because of their offense,” said the coach. “In San Francisco he can run and play action, boot, screen and manage the game.”
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Purdy already proved doubters wrong during his unlikely rise to stardom. Now, Purdy is just one win away from becoming the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to start in a Super Bowl and faces another unlikely Test against the Eagles on Sunday.
And history shows he should be up to the occasion.
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