The 49ers had their eye on Brock Purdy before and throughout the 2022 NFL Draft, but they weren't always confident that they would be able to land the young quarterback.
So when coach Kyle Shanahan saw Purdy still on the board in the seventh round, his mind crossed several different paths as he consulted with his posse of other coaches, scouts and 49ers executives.
“I was sure Brock was worthy of the fourth round, and we put a fourth-round grade on him,” Shanahan told NBC Sports' Peter King. “There was no way we could take him for our team. But we’re sitting there in the seventh, and all these picks go by, he’s still there. That’s when I get to hear our linebacker coaches, all the scouts, other coaches, everybody who’s talking, saying things like: I can’t believe my guy is still there in the seventh! I love this guy. Or, We got all these needs! You traded those ones last year! We don’t need a quarterback to be our third guy. Or, Kyle! We can still get him as a free agent. He’s not going to get drafted. I mean, it’s all coming down on me.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
“You hear all this stuff and the last thing you wanna be is the offensive head coach who’s like, ‘Nope, we’re taking my favorite quarterback.’ I get it—this linebacker, this running back might start for us … This linebacker might be the next dude. I remember saying before the draft I wouldn’t be surprised if Brock was there in the seventh, or didn’t get drafted. Just how the NFL works."
With time ticking and the pressure rising, 49ers co-chairman Dr. John York walked over to Shanahan and asked him a simple question.
That question wound up providing all the clarity Shanahan and 49ers general manager John Lynch needed.
“I’m always trying to check myself on this stuff," Shanahan said. "The pick’s coming up and I remember [York] asking, ‘Who’s the best player out there?’ I go, ‘Well, there’s no doubt Purdy’s the best player.’ He goes, ‘Then what are we talking about?’ I was like, ‘Well, there’s other spots. Also, we might be able to get him as a free agent for $10,000 after the draft.’ Dr. York can’t believe it. He’s looking at me like, I don’t get why there’s discussion if you guys think he’s the best player.
San Francisco 49ers
“Then it gets closer. I’m also getting the feeling we’re not getting Purdy as a free agent because there are so many other teams who are going to try to sign him. He wasn’t coming to us. He’s told me since then he was signing somewhere else. I said in the room, ‘Let’s not risk it. This guy’s too good.’ John and I, we took Purdy. And thank God we did.”
Thank God is right. Shanahan went with his gut instinct, and San Francisco selected Purdy with the No. 262 and final pick of the draft.
Purdy entered the league as a third-string rookie quarterback behind former 49ers quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance. But by Week 13, he took over under center and led the team to the NFC Championship Game before sustaining a serious elbow injury.
But after a successful offseason surgery and recovery, Purdy was named the starter for the 2023 season. He picked up right where he left off, too, breaking records and making history along the way. Since becoming Mr. Irrelevant, Purdy has a .808 winning percentage as a starter, passing for 9.2 yards per attempt with a 47-14 touchdown-to-interception ratio and owns a 111.2 passer rating -- all the best marks in the league among quarterbacks with at least 20 starters, including the playoffs.
Now, Purdy and the 49ers are one win away from securing the franchise's sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy, and Shanahan's intuition all along was key.
Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast