Brock Purdy's road to becoming the 49ers' starting quarterback has been anything but ordinary, from entering the league as the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft to leading San Francisco onto the field in Super Bowl LVIII less than two years later.
Now in his third NFL season with plenty of accolades under his belt, Purdy credits much of his success -- and the fact that he's in the league, period -- to physical therapist Tom Gormely of CORTX Sports Performance, the signal-caller recently told ESPN's Stephania Bell.
"These guys broke me up, loosened me up and got me throwing like I needed to," Purdy told Bell in an exclusive interview published Saturday.
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Gormely told Bell that Purdy approached CORTX ahead of his 2022 pro day and the NFL Scouting Combine, hoping to receive feedback that ultimately would help him reach the pros.
"He told me, 'I want to be able to have more arm velocity, I want to be able to throw better on the move,' " Gormely told Bell. " 'I want to know what I'm good at and what I'm bad at so I can improve. Tell me everything.' "
Gormerly and Co. certainly told Purdy everything, with Bell noting the physical therapist and his team saw "issues that would hold back Purdy if not resolved." That included a tight throwing shoulder with "limited external rotation" compared to other quarterbacks. If Purdy could create separation between his shoulder and hips, his throws would become stronger thanks to the increased rotational motion.
The plan? Under Gormely's direction, Purdy underwent physical therapy to alleviate his joint stiffness and soft tissue mobility, performed targeted gym exercises to assist his throwing delivery and movement patterns, and also worked with CORTX quarterbacks coach Will Hewlett to help those new developments translate onto the field.
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The results followed, with Bell noting scouts watching Purdy's pro day noticed he was more explosive and had more pop in his throws than his days at Iowa State. He only has continued to evolve since the 49ers drafted him No. 262 overall, finishing the 2023 NFL season as an MVP finalist after his first full campaign as San Francisco's starter.
"There are a lot of plays where the pocket starts closing in on you. You've got offensive linemen getting pushed back into your lap," Purdy told Bell. "And you're thinking, 'How do I get this ball off with a lot of velocity and zip on it?' And when I would watch back the [practice] film it's like, 'Oh shoot, that looks like the drills that we were doing.' Warming up with the balls against the wall or exercises in the weight room. And I'm like that's that."
Purdy's elusiveness, accuracy and decision-making are just a few of the traits that have helped him quickly rise up the NFL QB rankings during his young career, and he thanks Gormely for helping him find answers that ultimately led to his success.
"If I hadn't come to Tom, I would have already topped out," Purdy told Bell.
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