San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters on Saturday following the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Draft. Among the topics of discussion was one of their seventh-round picks, Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke.
Rourke joins a quarterback room that already includes Brock Purdy, Mac Jones, and Tanner Mordecai. However, fans shouldn't expect to see him throwing to his new teammates during organized team activities, and even his participation in training camp remains uncertain.
Rourke underwent surgery in January to repair a partially torn ACL, an injury he played through during last season. Despite the injury, he still threw for 3,042 yards and 29 touchdowns.
"A guy that we really liked, and I think really displayed his toughness—played a lot of the year on a partially torn ACL," Lynch said. "It was a previous ACL that was done in '22, and kind of a retear, but toughed it out, and played through it.
"Had surgery after the season. So, we took him with the understanding that he's not going to likely be cleared until training camp, but we just felt like there was a lot of talent, a lot of ability. The guy plays the game the right way, and you can't have enough good quarterbacks.
"And wanted to add him to the mix, and we were able to do it in the seventh round, and excited to do so."
Rourke didn't want to commit to a timeline for availability during the 2025 season but emphasized his eagerness to return to the practice field as soon as possible.
"My mindset has always been to get back as soon as I can, and as soon as I can do anything, then I'm gonna do it," Rourke said after being drafted. "That's the way I was in the first time around, and that's the mindset I have this time. So, definitely want to be a part of the 49ers' plan, but I'm going to be pushing for as early as possible."
Despite the injury, Shanahan explained why Rourke was a player worth using one of the 49ers' 11 draft picks.
"I loved his size, love how he throws, loved how he plays the position, especially watching him this year," Shanahan said. "I don't think it was a coincidence how good of a year they had with the type of quarterback they had. And to know he did it the whole year with a—he had a broken finger, a torn ACL, and still, was really, really impressive.
"And we're in a situation where, getting a guy with a torn ACL, and he probably won't be cleared by training camp—it'll be close—but it's not an issue for us right now, obviously with Brock and Mac, and love Tanner too.
"So, I thought it was just a very good valuable pick for us, for a guy who might not be ready for another year, because I think he's about seven months out, because he got it done after the season. But we're in a situation we could take him, and I think he would have gone a lot higher if he was healthy."
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