One of San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch's goals heading into the 2022 NFL Draft was to secure a backup quarterback for Trey Lance with one of their late picks. The team's quarterback coach, Brian Griese, and scout Steve Slowik became captivated by a promising signal-caller from Iowa State and began advocating for the young player.
As the draft unfolded, the 49ers considered signing Brock Purdy as an undrafted free agent. However, understanding the unpredictable nature of the NFL, Lynch and his team decided not to take any chances. With the last overall pick in the draft, they selected Purdy.
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"I asked Brock often, 'Would we have got you as a free agent?'" Lynch told Clark Judge and Ira Kaufman this week on the "The Eye Test for Two" podcast. "And finally, he sheepishly told me, 'Yeah, you guys would have had me, but I'm glad you drafted me.'"
On Thursday, 49ers CEO Jed York shared that, early in training camp, head coach Kyle Shanahan had a conversation with him about the rookie quarterback.
"And he's like, 'I think our third-string quarterback is our best quarterback,'" York said.
Considering the substantial investment made in Lance as the starting quarterback, this revelation was unexpected.
"One thing that owners don't love to hear when they've invested money and/or draft picks, or both, into people is that the last pick in the draft is the guy that we think is the best," York acknowledged. "That's generally not great news, but he's honest, and he let it play out the right way."
While Shanahan noticed something special in Purdy early in training camp, Lynch's realization came when the rookie quarterback began playing in actual games. Despite limited opportunities during practices, where Lance dominated the rep count with Nate Sudfeld as his backup, Purdy impressed Lynch with his poise and accuracy in the pocket.
"But he didn't shy away from fitting it into a tight window, which you still see him do a lot to this day," Lynch observed. "And that takes a lot of courage when you're only going to have three or four reps. It's real easy just to say, 'I got to take it safe and check it down.' Instead, Brock was the guy fitting it into a tight window.
"And after a while of seeing that and doing it successfully, players start looking at each other, coaches start, Kyle and I start looking at each other and saying, 'Man, we got something.' Now, did we think it was our starting quarterback at the time? Probably not, but that continued to grow and grow and grow.
"... And Trey got hurt early in the year. Jimmy Garoppolo, who we had brought back, got hurt versus Miami, and Brock Purdy comes in and played really well in his first game, and then never skipped a beat and took us all the way to the NFC Championship Game."
Purdy got hurt in that game, dashing the 49ers' Super Bowl hopes last season. However, a year later, the 24-year-old quarterback has the team in the Super Bowl, on the cusp of earning the organization's sixth championship.
"He's an incredible competitor," Lynch praised. "He's an incredible young man. He's got a lot of faith in his life, and I think you see that on the field. He plays fearless but smart, and he's a little better athlete, as we all saw in the NFC Championship Game (this year against the Lions) when he said, 'You know what? They're doing a great job in coverage. I may have to use my legs,' and ran away from some linebackers and DBs. ... Brock showed his athleticism, which is another sneaky part of his skill set."
Lynch dismissed the "game manager" label critics often attach to Purdy. The young quarterback has repeatedly proven to be a difference-maker on the football field.
"His rookie year, I think we started to see the way he was a playmaker, the way he would extend when something wasn't there," Lynch stated. "He's very much a rhythmic passer. ... He's going to take the ball to the right place, but when it's needed, and coverage is locked down, his ability to extend and make plays down the field, typically throwing it, but sometimes using his legs, that's probably what surprised us most.
"You see guys do that in college. It doesn't always translate because the athletes [in the NFL] are better. And his ability to make plays is probably the one thing that has surprised me most. He did a lot playing at Iowa State, but again, you just don't know if that aspect of his game will translate. And you don't have to have that, but it sure is nice."
The 49ers also discovered Purdy's quick processing skills, which were evident in how swiftly he grasped Shanahan's complex offensive scheme.
Lynch concluded, "It's fun to watch him. And I think when you toe that line of being fearless in your play but also protecting the football really well, that's when you got a chance to be something special, and I think Brock toes that line extremely well."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.
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