Brock Purdy

Brock Richard 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, making him the Mr. Irrelevant of that year.

After being named the third-string quarterback to start his rookie season, injuries to quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo thrust Purdy into the starting role, where he won all five games he started en route to a 10-game winning streak that propelled the 49ers to a division title and the second seed in the playoffs.

Early years

Purdy is a native of Queen Creek, Arizona, and played high school football for Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona. He is the middle child of Shawn and Carrie Purdy. His older sister, Whitney Purdy, played softball at Southeastern University. Younger brother Chubba Purdy also 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 (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's 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

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. He also rushed for 308 yards and five touchdowns.

His sophomore season, Purdy 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 41–42 loss against then No. 9 Oklahoma, and 372 yards with three passing and one rushing touchdown in a win over Kansas. He passed for a touchdown in 12 consecutive games, a school record, as were his 39 completions against Oklahoma St. He also led the Big-12 in passing yards with 3,982, and was third with both 27 passing and 35 total touchdowns, which shattered George Amundson's 41-year-old school record of 24 total touchdowns.

His junior year, Purdy had less gaudy 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 No. 9 national ranking, their highest in a history stretching back to 1895. He had three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 45–0 shutout of Kansas St, followed two weeks later by completing 20/23 passes for three touchdowns and rushing for 38 yards and another touchdown in 42–6 victory over West Virginia. In the Fiesta Bowl, Purdy passed and rushed for a touchdown in a 34–17 win over Oregon.

In his 2021 senior year, Purdy and Hall again led the Cyclones to a 7–6 winning record, highlighted by 307 yards and two touchdowns in a 24–21 defeat of No. 8 Oklahoma St. He also had 356 yards and three touchdowns against Texas Tech, but lost in a 38–41 shootout. The season was something of a disappointment to a team ranked No. 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 and 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.

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.

2022

Trey Lance was named the starter over Jimmy Garoppolo for the 2022 season, making Purdy the third string quarterback, but 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 4th quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs, throwing for 66 yards and an interception in the 44–23 loss.

On December 4, 2022, in the first quarter of the 49ers' Week 13 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, Garoppolo also 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, 2022, 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 2 passing touchdowns, along with a 2-yard rushing touchdown. After the game, the 49ers sent out a tweet dubbing Purdy "Mr. Relevant", a reference to Purdy having been drafted as "Mr. Irrelevant" as the last pick taken in the 2022 NFL Draft, followed by his sudden jump to relevance in the 49ers' season.

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 to record an accumulative 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, 2 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 13 touchdowns and 4 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 5 starts were the highest for a quarterback in his first five starts since Kurt Warner in 1999.

In the 49ers' Wild Card game against the Seattle Seahawks, Purdy became the first 49ers rookie quarterback to start and win a playoff game. In the game, he completed 18-of-30 passes for 332 yards and scored 4 total touchdowns, the most by a rookie quarterback in a playoff game.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Personal life

Purdy is a Christian. He has said, “Every time I play  –  no matter what happens  –  I 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 grew up a Miami Dolphins fan, and wears number 13 in honor of Dan Marino.