Brock Purdy often is viewed as mild mannered, but his 49ers teammates quickly learned there was a more menacing side to the young quarterback
During an interview with KNBR's Greg Papa and John Lund on Monday, running back Christian McCaffrey revealed his first impressions of Purdy when the 24-year-old entered the huddle as San Francisco's starting quarterback for the first time.
"Man, I saw a stone cold killer," McCaffrey told Papa and Lund. "I think he showed up, and he showed up to play. I think he was confident, he was prepared, and he was Brock. And I haven't seen anything different. That's what has been so cool about his growth, he's one of the best players in the National Football League and he approaches every day like it's the most important day.
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"Every meeting, every practice, everything he does, he's extremely critical on himself. Everyone always talks about how he's the last pick in the draft, and I get that, but people forget he's one of the best players int he NFL and was an MVP candidate last year. Where you were drafted means nothing, it's about what you do when you get the opportunity, and he seized the day."
McCaffrey recently stated how impressed he's been with Purdy's command of the 49ers' offense during the early stages of training camp, with the third-year quarterback admittedly embracing a new mindset heading into the 2024 NFL season.
Purdy's dedicated pursuit of excellence comes as no surprise to fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who explained to Papa and Lund how the quarterback's relentless work ethic earned his respect.
"Brock in general, he's a serious guy," Juszczyk told Papa and Lund. "He understands that there's a lot of weight on his shoulders. He's carrying the weight of this entire organization, this entire city. And like we talked about earlier, he's got all these great players around him that are expecting him to perform. He doesn't take that lightly. That's something I respect about Brock, because he's always dialed in, he's always ready to work."
San Francisco 49ers
While Purdy certainly has improved on the field with more NFL experience, Juszczyk explained that the quarterback's demeanor remains the same as it was since bursting on the scene as a third-string rookie in 2022.
"Like Christian said, when people are asking, 'How has he changed from that first game [vs.] Miami?' Yeah, he's gotten better in all aspects, but he really is kind of the same guy," Juszczyk told Papa and Lund. "He's been the same guy since he's been here and I think that's something we all respect."
San Francisco has won over 80 percent of its regular-season games started by Purdy, with the 49ers' offense looking like a juggernaut for the majority of that span.
While Purdy and San Francisco fell just short of a Super Bowl title last season, it's clear the quarterback has earned the confidence of the 49ers' star-studded roster, something the Faithful can be excited about for years to come as he appears to be the franchise quarterback that long has eluded the historic team.
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