He kept his head low and his hopes high. He studied his playbook meticulously, competed as hard as he could, and
hoped that his efforts would be rewarded. One of the few things that stood out about Purdy when he arrived at his
first San Francisco 49ers training camp was his status as Mr. Irrelevant, the last choice in the 2022 NFL Draft. Purdy
was also working on a quarterback depth chart that includes Trey Lance, the third overall choice in last year’s draft,
and Jimmy Garoppolo, who guided the team to the Super Bowl in 2019 and the NFC Championship Game in 2021.
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Purdy tried his best to encourage Lance, who is being groomed to be the team’s next franchise quarterback. Purdy
made the most of his few practice reps, knowing that his status on the roster was not guaranteed. With all of those
obstacles in his path, the rookie signal-caller couldn’t help but wonder what 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan
thought of his potential, a question that remained unanswered until injuries forced Purdy into a starting role late in
the 2022 season. Purdy told reporters last week, “I had my opportunity against Miami (in Week 13), and we talked
after that. That’s when [Shanahan] began telling me, ‘Hey, you’ve been doing everything right since you came here.’ ”
Purdy had no idea how much enthusiasm he generated in the organization when he was only concerned about
survival. Shanahan even approached owner Jed York after one training camp practice, revealing that Purdy appeared
to be the best quarterback on the roster in those early days. It was an unsettling admission for York to accept — “One
thing that owners don’t like to hear when they’ve invested money and/or draft picks, or both, into people is that the
last pick in the draft is the guy that we think is the best,” he told local reporters last week — but the end result has
worked out well for the 49ers. In addition to discovering a hidden gem in Purdy, they’re also ready to run the
