Nobody predicted that Brock Purdy would be so successful so fast, including the San Francisco 49ers. Had they, the quarterback would have been drafted much sooner than the last overall pick in 2022.
Purdy entered last season as the third quarterback on the depth chart. He only got his opportunity because the two quarterbacks ahead of him, Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, suffered injuries.
Purdy now sits atop the depth chart. Lance and Garoppolo are no longer with the 49ers, a sign that the team has a lot of confidence in its second-year quarterback. Why has Purdy enjoyed so much early success? Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked that question before Wednesday's practice, and provided a blunt answer.
"It's how do you play quarterback at a high level?" Shanahan responded. "Where does that come from? Sometimes experience, sometimes because you're just good at it. But he's playing at a high level because he's good at quarterback."
On Sunday, Purdy had 20 rushing yards in the 49ers' 30-7 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 49ers have admitted that his sneaky-good athleticism was just as surprising to them as everyone else. Still, Shanahan saw hints of that while scouting the quarterback's time at Iowa State.
"You never know at the next level, but that's how he played in college," Shanahan said. "He did it a lot, and I think, one of his first games, he had a zone-read play for like 60 yards or something. So Brock's always had a knack for making plays with his feet.
"He has the quickness to do it. You never know how to equate at this level, but it looked that way in practice and stuff, and he's carried it over to games."
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