Brock Purdy had an impressive rookie campaign in 2022. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback started his first career NFL game on December 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning that contest and the six that followed.
No one was quite sure what to expect from the inexperienced quarterback. Each week, Purdy showed why he belongs in the NFL and why he has earned the right to be the 49ers' starter.
One 49ers teammate remembers that December matchup against the Buccaneers and how Purdy looked like a seasoned veteran when many expected the rookie to struggle.
"Usually, when a young guy comes in, you're going to see all types of blitzes, and Brock got that," fullback Kyle Juszczyk recently told Guy Haberman and John Middlekauff during an interview. "I think we were playing against Tampa Bay, and you saw, like a record number of zero blitzes where they're bringing everybody. No safeties in the back, just man-to-man on each receiver. They're going to bring one more than you can block, and it's just kind of like, 'All right, rookie, can you make a decision quick? It didn't go well [for the Buccaneers]."
On a night when everyone was focused on another Tom Brady return to the Bay Area, Purdy and the 49ers stole the spotlight, routing the Buccaneers 35-7.
Purdy passed that test and the many that followed, guiding the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game before suffering an injury. The 49ers fullback is eager to see what opposing defenses do against Purdy in his second season and if the quarterback can overcome the new challenges.
"That's what I'm interested to see because he already kind of got some of those early tests that a normal young quarterback would get," Juszczyk said. "Usually, it's, 'Heat him up, let's see what kind of decisions he makes under pressure.' Now it's like, do you just play him like a normal quarterback? Are there things that he kind of gives away? I don't know. I haven't done that evaluation of him. Honestly, I'm interested to see, too, how people play him."