Brock Purdy had an impressive rookie season after being thrust into the starting lineup due to Trey Lance's and Jimmy Garoppolo's injuries. Purdy helped guide the San Francisco 49ers to eight consecutive victories, including two playoff games, before suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his throwing arm in the NFC Championship Game.
During the run, Purdy threw 16 touchdowns and just three interceptions. The quarterback ranked second among NFL quarterbacks in yards per attempt (8.4). Does that mean Purdy made Adam Schein's list of 2023 NFL MVP dark horse candidates?
He did not. However, one 49ers quarterback did.
Was it Lance, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury during Week 2 but is now healthy and ready to prove that he can contribute to winning football games? After all, the former No. 3 overall pick entered last season as the 49ers' starting quarterback.
It wasn't Lance either.
Schein named veteran Sam Darnold among his nine players listed as a dark horse MVP candidate.
"I know we're hearing a lot of good news around Brock Purdy's rehab process, and that's great," Schein explained in the feature for NFL.com. "But the guy underwent elbow surgery on his throwing arm a few months ago, so until I see it, I have trouble just accepting that everything is hunky-dory and the former seventh-round selection will pick up right where he left off last January."
After 55 NFL starts, it's hard to argue that Darnold hasn't failed to live up to the expectations of a former No. 3 overall draft pick. Of course, playing for the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers doesn't compare to the talent-rich 49ers ensemble. The NFL.com columnist believes San Francisco can win a lot of football games with Darnold under center.
"With Darnold in the starting lineup, I firmly believe Kyle Shanahan's 49ers can win 11-to-13 games and be bona fide Super Bowl contenders," wrote Schein. "I touched on this a couple weeks ago, and I'm not kidding. So let's ride!"
Schein is referring to his bold predictions in May, one of which involved Darnold leading the 49ers to a win over the Jets in the Super Bowl. Even with the 49ers liking Purdy's progress in recent weeks, the columnist still believes the team's best bet is Darnold.
"I always wanted to see what Darnold could do with better support," Schein wrote in May. "Now he's under the watchful eye of offensive genius Kyle Shanahan, flanked by immense talent on both sides of the ball."