The San Francisco 49ers appear to have a strong quarterback room heading into the 2024 season. At the top of the depth chart is third-year player Brock Purdy, who remains a promising young star despite a rough performance on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
Josh Dobbs and Brandon Allen are competing for the QB2 position. Dobbs showcased his athleticism on Sunday, making plays with both his arm and legs, earning the highest quarterback grade against the Saints, per Pro Football Focus. Now entering his second season with the team, Allen has also been solid.
Then there's rookie Tanner Mordecai, an intriguing prospect who joined the 49ers as an undrafted free agent after playing for Wisconsin last year. Mordecai made his NFL debut in Sunday's preseason game, completing four of his six pass attempts for 44 yards.
While Mordecai isn't expected to challenge Dobbs or Allen for the backup spot, he could be an interesting candidate for the practice squad if the 49ers keep three quarterbacks on the roster.
Earlier this month, quarterbacks coach Brian Griese emphasized that the backup quarterback job will likely go to Dobbs or Allen, given the 49ers' preference for an experienced player behind Purdy—a role Mordecai isn't expected to challenge.
After the game, Mordecai spoke with Larry Krueger about his first NFL outing.
"It was fun," Mordecai told Krueger. "It was good to get my feet wet, get out there, and play with the guys. Getting in a little bit of a rhythm, but had a blast."
Purdy, who started his NFL career fighting to make the roster, can relate to Mordecai's current situation. Next year, Purdy is expected to become one of the NFL's highest-paid players. Mordecai recognizes the value of learning from Purdy, both on and off the field.
"Brock is a super genuine dude," Mordecai said. "He is who he is, and I've learned from him, like, stand up for what you believe in, trust God in everything you do, and things work out. So lucky to have a guy like that leading our room."
But it's not just Purdy who has made an impact on Mordecai. The rookie is grateful to have so many experienced quarterbacks to learn from.
"I'm lucky I have such a great room of quarterbacks," Mordecai commented. "Been able to learn from Brock, B.A. (Allen), and Josh. They've all had a lot of experience, and I'm trying to soak in all the information I can and learn the most I can from those guys."
In 10 games with the Badgers in 2023, Mordecai passed for 2,066 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions, missing a handful of games due to a broken hand. Before transferring to Wisconsin, he threw for 7,152 yards, 72 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions over two seasons at SMU.
While Mordecai may not be in the mix for the QB2 job, Griese believes the first-year player is progressing nicely.
"He has put the time in to try to learn the offense," Griese said earlier this month. "The biggest hurdle for him is just saying the verbiage. We might have 26 words and a play call, and there's only 40 seconds on the clock, so that becomes difficult. And I think where he came from, playing in college, like most guys, they weren't calling plays in the huddle. They were in the shotgun. They didn't have the play-action.
"There's a lot that goes into it, and to be able to do that to a point where you can go out in a training camp and execute, it takes a while. So, he's getting a lot better."
Reflecting on his play against the Saints, Mordecai admits he's always hard on himself but acknowledged that the experience was enjoyable.
"I got in a rhythm at first," Mordecai shared. "The ball I threw to [WR] Jacob [Cowing] into the corner, I felt like I shouldn't force that one. Had an opportunity behind him on that corner route, but, yeah, I'll definitely be able to see different things once I watch the film."
Purdy, however, was less critical, describing Mordecai's NFL debut as "awesome."
"To get out there, get into a rhythm, make a couple good throws on the run, he was in rhythm, on time, making good decisions," Purdy told reporters. "So to go out there, fourth quarter, you never know what's going to happen or what defenses are going to be doing at that point, but he went out there and ran our offense pretty efficiently. So, I'm pumped for him. I know that's going to continue to boost his confidence as he plays more. Pumped for him."
