San Francisco 49ers fans might not consider quarterback Brock Purdy as the future under center amid a three-game losing streak, but that doesn’t mean the 49ers will go a different direction in 2024.
Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler sees quite the opposite amid rumors of Purdy not lasting in San Francisco. Fowler tabbed Purdy as the 49ers’ “most promising young building block” for roster building.
“No matter how you view the 49ers, Brock Purdy remains a major building block for the future under [head coach] Kyle Shanahan,” Fowler wrote. “He won’t win any ‘most talented’ awards or shoulder an offense like many of the game’s elite can, but he’s efficient, understands what he’s looking at and has consistently placed the Niners in a position to win games.”
San Francisco took Purdy with the final pick, known as Mr. Irrelevant, in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Iowa State. Purdy shined when his number first got called after an injury to former Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and that continued into 2023, but Purdy has taken heat during the 49ers’ recent slide.
BROCK PURDY TO GEORGE KITTLE TD
Shanahan, general manager John Lynch, and 49ers players have all voiced their support of Purdy during the recent skid. Purdy completes 67.8% of his passes for 3,407 yards and 35 touchdowns versus nine interceptions in 17 career games.
If those numbers counted toward one season, such as the 2022 campaign for instance, that puts Purdy in the top 10 for completion percentage and touchdowns that year. Despite the challenges of 2023, Purdy ranks in the top 10 for completion percentage and at No. 11 for both yards and touchdowns.
Brock Purdy: ‘It Was Huge to Clear My Mind’
Purdy went back to Iowa during the 49ers’ bye week and helped on his fiance’s family farm. Whether driving a tractor or spending time with a future spouse and in-laws, He said it helped mentally get a break from the recent on-field struggles.
“Yeah, it’s huge. Looking at the good, looking at the bad of the first half, how hot we started and then obviously the last three games of like, ‘all right, what’s going on’? What could we be better at? For myself, especially, it was huge,” Purdy told reporters on Thursday, November 9.
“It was good just to be able to breathe.”
Brock Purdy shares how he spent the bye week to mentally recharge
“But to be able to like step away from the game, take a breather, understand where we’re at, what we have to do, it was huge for me to clear my mind and then come back like excited for the second half and for the stretch of some good football that we have to play. So I feel good,” Purdy added.
Purdy and the 49ers look to get back on track in Week 10 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team on a roll with a five-game winning streak.
Brock Purdy Reveals What He Told Teammates After Bengals Loss
Purdy took the lead in the locker room after the 49ers stumbled to a third-straight loss, a 31-17 defeat against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8.
“Yeah, just owning up to turning the ball over,” Purdy told reporters on Thursday. “How hard everyone puts their time and effort into this whole thing — the organization, the coaches, the players, everyone plays hard, there’s no question, no doubt about that. So, I just wanted the team to know and hear from my own mouth, face-to-face, I got to be better.”
“I own up to the mistakes that I’ve made and at certain points in the game, I have to be smart with the ball,” Purdy continued. “The quarterback is one of the most trusted guys in the organization because we get the ball in our hands every play to make a decision. So just owning up to that and understanding that I have to be better. So I just telling the guys that just came from the heart and that was it.”
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49ers’ Brock Purdy Tabbed for Surprising Role by Analyst