The San Francisco 49ers‘ tabbing of Brock Purdy with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft is one of the most noteworthy picks in recent memory. Their selection of Purdy, however, all started with them passing on Patrick Mahomes five years earlier, which was the start of a domino effect that led them to their current starting quarterback.
How 49ers Passing on Mahomes in 2017 Led to Brock Purdy Selection
ESPN insider Adam Schefter detailed on the “Pardon My Take” podcast that the 49ers were not seriously invested in many quarterbacks during the 2017 NFL Draft, which famously featured Mahomes and Deshaun Watson.
Schefter described how the 49ers had different plans at quarterback during that draft, only selecting C.J. Beathard after trading up to select him in the third round.
“The draft where the 49ers in 2017 had the second overall pick, Patrick Mahomes was in that draft, and they didn’t do any work on him because they thought the following offseason Kirk Cousins was leaving Washington,” Schefter said.
“And this gets better and better, so Kirk Cousins is leaving Washington, they thought that he would want to be there [San Francisco], they would want him there, and it’s a layup, so there’s no reason to do any real work on the quarterbacks in the 2017 draft so why do you need to work on Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson when you know you’re going to get Kirk Cousins?”
Schefter then discussed how the 49ers acquiring Jimmy Garoppolo in a midseason trade with the New England Patriots later that season derailed any plans the team had of pursuing Cousins, which eventually led San Francisco to keep Beathard as a backup to Garoppolo before receiving a compensatory draft pick once the University of Iowa product left.
“Well, what happens is New England calls up San Francisco that Halloween and is like, ‘Hey, we got to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo, just give us a two [second-round pick],'” Schefter added. “Well, they do that, so that blows up the Kirk Cousins plan.
“But back to that draft in 2017, the only quarterback that they did extensive work on, that they wound up trading up for in the third round, they moved up to take C.J. Beathard. And when C.J. Beathard left after four years and signed with Jacksonville, the 49ers got a compensatory seventh-round draft pick.
“And with that compensatory seventh-round draft pick, that they got from the draft in which they bypassed Patrick Mahomes, they took Brock Purdy.”
Not much was made of the Purdy pick originally, but the quarterback has become one of the best signal-callers in the NFL after taking over the starting job for an injured Garoppolo during the 2022 season. His success has been one of the league’s more eye-catching storylines over the last two years.
In his first full season as the starter, Purdy finished fourth in the NFL MVP vote, set a single-season franchise record for passing yards, and led San Francisco back to the Super Bowl.
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Due to his cheap rookie contract, the 49ers have been able to build a talented roster of offensive playmakers around Purdy, which has been a key to their recent success.
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