Brock Purdy's rapid rise to superstardom has astonished the NFL world, but a member of the Shanahan family
Mike Shanahan, father of 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, had high expectations for Purdy after watching minicamp practice video during Purdy's 2022 rookie season.
In an interview with “Pardon My Take,” Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle detailed that while all the attention was on quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo at the time, Shanahan kept his eye on the rookie point guard out of Iowa State.
“This is amazing. I spent a lot of time with him because I was working full-on on this book. [Mike Shanahan] “May and June of 2022,” Silver said, “so in those conversations, I asked him about Trey Lance and Jimmy, of course. [Garoppolo] And he watched the minicamp tape and he kept talking about Brock Purdy, and I was like, 'He's weirdly obsessed with Brock Purdy.'
“Anyway, he's the 262nd and final pick. Now they're playing the Bears, and this is the first game where Trey Lance is going to start without question. The day before, I went into Mike Shanahan's room, and we were sitting there and I asked him about Trey Lance, and he brought up Purdy again and said, 'You never take him out when that guy's on your team.' So he still has that power.”
The 49ers made the bold decision to have three quarterbacks on their roster at the start of the 2022 NFL season because they knew multiple teams had plans to acquire Purdy if he wasn't included as a rookie.
San Francisco's gamble paid off, as Purdy provided invaluable insurance during his rookie season and ultimately secured the 49ers' starting quarterback spot.
Entering his third year in the NFL, Purdy has established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league and looks set to lead San Francisco for years to come.
Thankfully, the organization saw the same thing with Mike Shanahan, avoiding an alternate reality in which Purdy would find his NFL groove with another franchise and be rewarded for his quarterback presence.
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