49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has put himself in position to continue making NFL history as San Francisco faces the Eagles in the NFC championship game Sunday. While the midseason injury to Jimmy Garoppolo could have doomed a lesser franchise’s Super Bowl chances, Purdy’s ascent has kept the 49ers in the hunt for a championship.

But long before Purdy became all but a certainty to be the 49ers’ starter in 2023, he was anything but a certainty to be taken in the NFL Draft. San Francisco threw the final dart at the board in the 2022 NFL Draft, taking Purdy with the final selection, making him last year’s “Mr. Irrelevant.”

MORE: Why Brock Purdy fell to the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft

It wasn’t too long ago that Purdy was an ascending NFL Draft talent, perhaps even a first-round pick, before middling results in college tanked his draft stock, all the way down to the seventh round.

As it goes with the NFL Draft, nobody knows anything. Here’s what experts were saying about Purdy during the selection process:

Brock Purdy scouting reports

Draft experts generally said the same thing about Purdy: He didn’t have the ideal size, arm strength or production to make him a first-round product, but he could be a more-than-capable backup and excel in the right system.

Here’s what some of the pundits said about Purdy pre-draft:

Lance Zierlein, NFL.com:

Charlie Campbell, Walter Football:

Ian Cummings, Pro Football Network:

The Draft Network:

ESPN:

At least one NFL team made it clear that it didn’t have Purdy in its plans, according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman:

The 2022 NFL Draft was a bit light on QBs. Just nine were selected, the fewest since seven were selected in 2015. That said, several intriguing passers fell in the draft, Purdy included.

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MORE: Purdy showed 49ers his best yet in gritty divisional playoff win over Cowboys

Despite a solid college career at Iowa State under Matt Campbell, Purdy couldn’t quite build on a stellar sophomore season in 2020 that launched him into first-round discussions. Now, he may be turning back the clock to show teams why he was talked about in that vein. 

Purdy opted to stay in college through his senior season, perhaps in hopes of raising his draft stock. That didn’t happen, but given that the 49ers’ scheme relies less on physical tools and more on smarts, decision-making and a quick release, he might have ended up in the perfect hands.

He has a chance this weekend to further prove that’s the case.

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