Everybody knows 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy's story and his journey to stardom as the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
But what if San Francisco pivoted elsewhere, leaving the MVP candidate undrafted? Where would the Iowa State product have ended up?
Purdy recalled his draft-night plan for the undesirable scenario, sharing what he remembers about the thought of going undrafted in an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco on the latest episode of “49ers Talk.”
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“My agent and I had been calling trying to decide where exactly I could go, situationally, with depth charts,” Purdy explained to Maiocco. We didn't make a full decision after the draft. John Lynch called, I got drafted and I had no choice but to come here. Thankful how it all ended up.”
As Purdy mentioned, he was glad San Francisco’s general manager made the timely phone call. The conversation prevented the seventh-rounder from testing free agency, which would not have guaranteed him a spot on a team, let alone one as talented as the 49ers.
However, Purdy likely would have been signed to a UDFA contract somewhere, as he garnered interest toward the end of the draft.
In October, ESPN's Kevin Seifert and Nick Wagoner reported, citing multiple sources, that the Minnesota Vikings were one of at least three teams pursuing Purdy during the draft, in addition to the Houston Texans and the 49ers.
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Fortunately for both parties involved, Purdy is in the middle of potentially another deep postseason run with the 49ers, meaning San Francisco nor its second-year quarterback has to worry about alternate outcomes.
Purdy, meanwhile, has made it clear he’s thankful to have been selected with the 262nd pick by San Francisco despite potentially being picked up elsewhere.
“I'm not mad at where I fell or anything like that,” Purdy told KNBR 680's "Murph & Mac” last season. “It's part of it. I'm just glad I had the opportunity to play for the Niners and have a shot at making it.
"You look at the last two years of my film in college and everything like that, [and] there's some parts of my game where, yeah, I had to work and improve on."
Regardless of Purdy’s uncertainty, the MVP candidate knows things worked out for the best.
Instead of worrying about what jersey he would have worn, the 24-year-old will try to bring San Francisco its sixth Super Bowl victory.
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