Re-drafting Brock Purdy: Where Mr. Irrelevant should've been picked in 2022 NFL Draft re-do

The 2022 NFL Draft was considered to be one of the worst quarterback classes in recent history.

So far, the group of players has lived down to the hype, save for one man.

That would be 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy.

When Purdy was selected by the 49ers with the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, little was made of him. It was believed that he was just a third-string quarterback on a team that already had Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo entrenched as its top two offense.

And surely, a late-round rookie wouldn't be able to unseat Lance, the No. 3 overall pick from 2021, as he took over the starting role. Right?

Not quite. Injuries knocked Lance and Garoppolo out for the season, so Purdy was thrown into action after that happened. He thrived, operating as an efficient quarterback and finding ways to get the ball to his playmakers.

It may be early in his career, but Purdy is looking like a big-time steal and a potential long-term starter for the 49ers. How did they land him, and what would a re-draft of Purdy's 2022 NFL Draft class look like at this early stage in the careers of each player?

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Below is an in-depth look at Purdy's draft profile and the talent that has, thus far, separated itself aft the NFL level.

What draft pick was Brock Purdy?

Purdy was selected with the 262nd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. That was the final pick of the event as a whole, and it earned Purdy the honor of being the NFL's first "Mr. Irrelevant" quarterback since Chandler Harnish.

Purdy was considered by many to be a fringe Day 3 pick who might ultimately end up being a high-priority undrafted free agent. In the end, the 49ers decided that he was worth a selection and chose him.

Since then, Purdy has been excellent for the team, improving his record-season record to 9-0 in his first nine starts and throwing 18 touchdowns to just four interceptions.

Brock Purdy draft profile, scouting reports

Naturally, many will be wondering why Purdy was selected so late in the 2022 NFL Draft. He has turned into a quality pro, after all.

So, what was the deal with Purdy coming into the league? Well, it boiled down to a few things, as can be gleaned from the scouting reports of that time.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com believed that Purdy would be an undrafted free agent because his skill set as a passer would be limited at the NFL level.

Four-year starter who was never able to improve upon a stellar sophomore campaign. Purdy is a burly pocket quarterback who needs a play-action based offense where he can rely on timing over release quickness and arm strength. He can be a confident passer when he finds his rhythm, but throwing is more of a chore than a talent thanks to a labored release. Certain areas of the field will be off limits as he moves up to take on NFL coverage talent. He's a scrappy runner but not dynamic enough to make up for his shortcomings as a passer.

Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com was higher on Purdy and said he could be an early Day 3 pick. However, compared Purdy's skill set to that of Matt Barkley and said he might be a "backup caliber" player in the NFL.

To start out on the positive, Purdy is an efficient rhythm passer who makes very good decisions overall. He is accurate in the short to intermediate part of the field, throwing a very catchable ball with nice touch. … On the negative side, Purdy does not have a powerful arm and he is not a mobile running threat. Regularly, Purdy can struggle to avoid pass rushers and blitzes. … While Purdy does not have a starter's skill set, he could develop into being a solid pro backup. Purdy looks like a mid-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, and he could easily go in the early rounds of Day 3.

ESPN used the word "average" several times to describe Purdy's skill-set.

Purdy is a smaller quarterback with average arm strength and above average pocket mobility. He extends plays, finds receivers late and makes platform throws. He holds onto the ball too long and his ball security needs to get better.

And, most notably, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported that at least one team was not considering adding Purdy to its roster at all.

On the NFL team scouting report, the most eye-catching information of all the categories was in the box listed for final grade. It simply read two words in all caps.

NO INTEREST

So, in short, the concerns with Purdy were his lacking size, athleticism and arm strength. He also wasn't overly productive in college, struggled with consistency and didn't appear to have the tools needed to be a quality starter.

Purdy has proven his doubters wrong so far by being a perfect fit in Kyle Shanahan's system. And there's little doubt that he has emerged as the best signal-caller in what has been a weak 2022 quarterback class to date.

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2022 NFL Draft QBs

In total, there were only nine quarterbacks selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. That was the fewest number of quarterbacks selected in a single draft class since only seven were selected in 2015.

And since the 2000 NFL Draft, the 2015 and 2022 classes are the only ones during which fewer than 10 quarterbacks were selected.

Below is a look at Purdy's contemporaries in the draft, who were all, naturally, selected ahead of him.

As it stands, Pickett, Ridder and Howell have all emerged as starters for their respective teams since being drafted. That said, none has enjoyed nearly the same level of success as Purdy, who has as many wins as Pickett in seven fewer starts and boasts the best career passer rating of the bunch by a wide margin.

Add in that players like Corral and Oladokun are no longer with the teams that selected them and it's clear that Purdy is the best quarterback of the bunch now. That will leave many wondering about the opportunities missed by the teams that passed on Purdy.

MORE: Breaking down Brock Purdy's record, regular-season winning streak

2022 NFL Draft re-draft

Every NFL team passed on Purdy several times during the 2022 NFL Draft, so each of them had a chance to select the Iowa State product. San Francisco just happened to be the club smart enough to do so.

But if teams got a chance to re-do the 2022 NFL Draft, how high would Purdy go? Sporting News quickly sketched out what a 2022 re-draft might look like, and that saw Purdy get selected sixth overall by the Panthers.

Below is a look at how the first round would shake out.

It's worth noting that there were several landing spots for Purdy before the sixth pick. He could have drawn consideration from the Texans, who had Davis Mills at quarterback entering the 2022 NFL offseason, with the No. 3 overall pick. The Jets and Giants at Nos. 4 and 5 also could have opted to replace Zach Wilson and Daniel Jones respectively after early-season struggles.

So, why did Purdy slip to No. 6? Well, the Texans seemed hell-bent on waiting to take a quarterback in the superior 2023 NFL Draft class. With the uber-talented Garrett Wilson on the board, it's easy to imagine them opting for him even despite Purdy's heroic first year in the NFL.

Meanwhile, Purdy would be a big upgrade for the Jets' floor, but having him and Zach Wilson on first-round contracts a year apart would get tricky. It also may have prevented them from trading for Aaron Rodgers; while that move hasn't panned out yet, Rodgers should make the Jets a Super Bowl contender when and if he gets healthy in 2024.

Finally, the Giants represented the top non-Panthers landing spot for Purdy given that Daniel Jones' best season looks like a flash-in-the-pan aberration. Still, it wouldn't do the team much good to have drafted Purdy in 2022. Why? Because they still lack a No. 1 receiver and have a poor offensive line. They can fix that by grabbing Chris Olave and Tyler Smith with their first two picks.

As such, the Panthers seemed like a logical landing spot. They had very little at quarterback entering the 2022 season and could have given Purdy a chance to start over Baker Mayfield, who didn't join the team until the summer. Purdy likely would have run away with that position battle.

Also, it's noteworthy that the Panthers traded up to No. 1 in the 2023 NFL Draft to secure Bryce Young. Knowing what they know about Purdy now, Carolina could have traded up in the 2023 draft to get Purdy, who is a sure thing now compared to Young, who is still developing.

It's still far too early to actually analyze how a full redraft would work, but one thing is certain. In any, Purdy would go a lot higher than 262 overall, and he would definitely be the first quarterback chosen.

As long as he is playing at that type of level, he will be the biggest steal of the 2022 NFL Draft, and perhaps one of the biggest in NFL history.