Brock Purdy vs. Matthew Stafford: Why 49ers-Rams matchup, featuring Mr. Irrelevant and No. 1 pick, is historic

Brock Purdy and Matthew Stafford are set to face off for the first time in Week 2, as Stafford's Rams play host to Purdy's 49ers.

The two passers didn't start against one another in 2022, as the Rams and 49ers met early in the season in Weeks 4 and 8. Jimmy Garoppolo was the San Francisco starter at that time, so Purdy didn't play in either game.

But in Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season, Purdy and Stafford are set to start. That will be a historic moment for the NFL.

Why? Because before the meeting between Purdy and Stafford, no Mr. Irrelevant quarterback had ever started a game against a quarterback who was the No. 1 pick.

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Stafford was the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He was selected by the Lions and played there for 12 years before being traded to the Rams during the 2021 NFL offseason.

Meanwhile, Purdy was the 262nd and final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft but emerged as a quality starter for the 49ers after injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. He has yet to lose a regular-season start; his only defeat came in the 2023 NFC championship game, a contest during which he suffered an elbow injury and couldn't really throw the ball.

Some may be surprised that a No. 1 quarterback has never started against a Mr. Irrelevant quarterback. However, when looking at the history of the draft's final pick, it's easy to understand why this phenomenon has never occurred before.

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Full list of Mr. Irrelevant quarterbacks

Since the final pick in the NFL draft became known as "Mr. Irrelevant" in 1976, there have been six quarterbacks selected with the final pick of the draft, including Purdy. They are as follows:

While Purdy has quickly established himself as an NFL-caliber starter, the other five didn't find nearly as much success. In fact, four never played a snap at the NFL level — Essington, Wanke, McAda and Harnish. Thus, they never made any starts at the NFL level.

As for Kelly — the nephew of former Bills star Jim Kelly — he played just one snap during his NFL career with the Broncos in 2018. He took a knee in victory formation to give him negative 1 career rushing yards. He has since gone on to start with the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL, but he never started in the NFL.

As such, Purdy is the only Mr. Irrelevant player to start a game at quarterback. Thus, he was always going to be the first Mr. Irrelevant quarterback to start against a former No. 1 pick. Stafford just so happened to be the first top-selected quarterback he was granted a chance to face.

MORE: Breaking down the history of Mr. Irrelevant quarterbacks

Active No. 1 pick quarterbacks in the NFL

As it stands, there are eight quarterbacks who were selected No. 1 overall and are still active NFL players. They are as follows:

The 49ers have the Rams, Jaguars, Bengals, Buccaneers and Cardinals on the schedule for 2023. So, Stafford, Lawrence, Burrow, Mayfield and Murray (if healthy) were the quarterbacks who could have opposed Purdy in this history-making spot.

Stafford just so happened to draw into this game. And now, he will get a chance to battle Purdy as each looks to win this unique quarterback matchup.