The San Francisco 49ers traded three first-round picks ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft to select quarterback Trey Lance. Three years later, the 49ers are preparing for the Super Bowl led by quarterback Brock Purdy and it appears Kyle Shanahan knew this would happen way before anyone else.
Purdy, the 262nd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, was an afterthought heading into his rookie season. While he was a first-team All-Big 12 quarterback in his final two seasons at Iowa State, the 6-foot-1 quarterback plummeted to the last pick in the NFL Draft.
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Heading into the 2022 season, Lance sat atop the 49ers depth chart followed by backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. While everyone was focused on the position battle between the former No. 3 pick and the highly-paid veteran backup, Shanahan was looking at someone else.
- Brock Purdy stats 2023: 113.0 QB rating, 4,280 passing yards, 69.4% completion rate, 31-11 TD-INT, 9.6 yards per attempt, 144 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns
49ers’ CEO Jed York recently revealed when he was made aware of just how good Purdy could be. San Francisco’s top executive told reporters on Thursday that the moment came after a training camp session when Shanahan approached him regarding the quarterback battle.
“And he’s like, ‘I think our third-string quarterback is our best quarterback. I’m like, ‘Okay, what does that mean?’ He’s like, ‘Well, obviously, we’ve invested in Trey. Trey is doing a good job. We’re going to do everything that we can. We’re not going to change that, and we’re not going to change the depth chart, but I think Brock will end up being our quarterback at some point.'”
San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York on his conversation at training camp in 2022 with head coach Kyle Shanahan regarding Brock Purdy
- Kyle Shanahan coaching record: 64-51 overall, 8-3 in the NFL playoffs
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Lance opened the season as the 49ers’ starting quarterback but struggled in Week 1 in monsoon-like weather conditions. He suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2, allowing Garoppolo to step in. After Garoppolo suffered a season-ending injury in Week 13 against the Miami Dolphins, Purdy got his chance.
The rest is history. It’s possible Shanahan would’ve even preferred for Purdy to start earlier in the 2022 season, but he gave his veteran quarterback a chance. One thing that is clear is the 49ers’ coach saw a clear vision for the team’s future with Purdy leading the offense and that has now come to fruition.
