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As the San Francisco 49ers take the field on Sunday in the Super Bowl, Carolina Panthers fans can really wonder what could have been.
That’s because former Panthers head coach Matt Rhule let the cat out of the bag — he wanted to draft Purdy when running back Christian McCaffrey was also on the roster. Instead, the 49ers took Purdy with the final pick of the 2022 draft and traded for McCaffrey that season.
“I think Brock Purdy is an amazing player, played against him at Iowa State,” Rhule, now the Nebraska head coach, told reporters on Wednesday. “When I was in the draft room at Carolina, I brought his name up. I said he should be on the draft board. I got vetoed on that one.”
Would that have changed the Panthers outlook remains unknown. Carolina has six-straight losing seasons, including a league-worst 2-15 record in 2023.
McCaffrey only enjoyed one winning season in Carolina — his first year in 2017 with a quarterback named Cam Newton in his prime. Rhule came into the picture later and lasted less than three seasons from 2020 to 2022.
As for Purdy, Rhule coached against Purdy twice in the Big 12. Rhule coached at Baylor between 2017 and 2019, and Purdy played at Iowa State between 2018 and 2021.
“We used to tell our guys when we were playing Brock Purdy, we were like, ‘Do not, do not, fall for his pump fake.’ Because Brock would come out, and he’d pump fake,” Rhule said. “First game, he’s 10 yards down the field, he pump fakes. Our DBs are jumping, and I’m like, ‘He’s past the line of scrimmage.’ So, a lot of respect for Brock.”
Brock Purdy Addresses Game Manager Label
Scouts consider Purdy a backup in the NFL before the 49ers drafted him, and he became known as a game manager after he took off on the field.
“I feel like it can be a compliment at times, where it’s like, ‘All right, you’ve got a guy that can come in and run the system well.’ I feel like that’s a compliment,” Purdy told reporters on Tuesday. “I think you’re doing things right mentally, and, obviously, you’re good enough to be able to hit guys that are open and make plays.”
“You know, there’s 32 teams in the NFL, and there’s not a lot of people that can come in and play the quarterback position well in the NFL,” Purdy added. “It’s a hard job. So, if you’re saying that I’m a game manager and I don’t look flashy in how I do it, I mean, that’s your opinion, and that’s OK.”
Christian McCaffrey: ‘Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me’
McCaffrey will look to hoist a Lombardi Trophy on Sunday in his second season with the 49ers, after a four-year desert of losing seasons in Carolina.
“In hindsight, I firmly believe it’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” McCaffrey said via Cam Inman of The Mercury News in May 2023.
Along the way, McCaffrey has continued his stellar play at an MVP level. He has 1,459 yards and 14 yards on the ground plus 67 catches for 564 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023.
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