Pro Football Focus (PFF) contributor Thomas Valentine recently revisited the 2022 NFL Draft, highlighting the highest-graded players at each position from that class. For the San Francisco 49ers, that draft was largely forgettable. Several of their selections are no longer on the roster.
However, the 49ers' best pick came with the final selection of the draft. At No. 262 overall, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan found unexpected gold in quarterback Brock Purdy.
Three years later, Purdy is not only entrenched as the 49ers' starter, but he's also on the verge of a contract extension that could make him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league. None of the eight other quarterbacks selected in that 2022 class have come close to matching his impact.
"The 2022 class wasn't touted as having a strong quarterback group," Valentine noted. "Nine quarterbacks were drafted overall, and only one, Kenny Pickett, was taken in the first round. Ironically, the final pick in the draft, Brock Purdy, has been the only quarterback to make his mark in the NFL. Purdy has earned a 90.2 PFF overall grade through three seasons as the 49ers' starting quarterback and has completed 67.5% of his pass attempts for 9,518 yards and 64 touchdowns in 40 career games."
In those three NFL seasons, Purdy has completed 67.5% of his passes for 9,518 yards, 64 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions. In 2023, he set a single-season franchise record with 4,280 passing yards and has already helped lead the 49ers to two NFC Championship appearances and a Super Bowl berth.
The 2024 season was a letdown. Purdy struggled to replicate his record-breaking performance from the previous year, and San Francisco managed just six wins. Still, his overall body of work has solidified his status as one of the NFL's top signal-callers—even if critics continue to downplay his achievements.
"A big extension is likely on the horizon for Purdy," Valentine continued, "and despite being the 263rd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, he has seamlessly slotted into Kyle Shanahan's offense, proving that he's capable of running an offense as designed while also showing off his ability to create plays out of the pocket on occasion."