Brock Purdy can accomplish two things in the next several weeks: Shine as the incumbent "Mr. Irrelevant" and lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl.
Trying to win games will drive and consume him, but the first challenge will make the second more interesting. Injuries to Trey Lance in September and Jimmy Garoppolo on Sunday elevated Purdy, San Francisco's rookie third-string quarterback, to the starting role after being drafted last overall in April with the No. 262 pick.
To spark a playoff run, Purdy has to avoid undermining the 8-4 Niners' mighty defense, which he managed to do when he relieved Garoppolo last weekend. He threw two touchdowns and teed up Robbie Gould for three field goals to beat the Dolphins 33-17.
The spotlight beamed on Purdy, which was late 49ers receiver Paul Salata's goal when he coined the "Mr. Irrelevant" endearment in the 1970s.
"He wanted to randomly do something nice for someone," Salata's daughter Melanie Salata Fitch once told ESPN. "He had played football and thought: Let’s honor the last guy (in the draft). Let’s have that be our random guy."
Few last overall picks stick in the NFL for long, but a handful have won Super Bowls. Linebacker Marty Moore and fullback Jim Finn combined to play more than 200 games and were part of title teams with the Patriots and Giants, respectively, in the 2000s. Tampa Bay kicker Ryan Succop, the last man taken in the 2009 draft, ranks 30th all-time in made field goals and earned a ring with the 2020 Buccaneers.
Other Mr. Irrelevants have been in the news lately. Quarterback Chad Kelly took a knee on his lone NFL snap but starred as an injury replacement in November's Canadian Football League title game, spearheading the fourth-quarter TD drive that won the Toronto Argonauts the Grey Cup. Giants linebacker Tae Crowder's stock has slipped in his third season – he played zero defensive snaps last week and was exasperated postgame.
San Francisco won't sideline Purdy anytime soon, with Lance's broken ankle ruling him out for the season. Garoppolo is expected back from his broken foot in seven weeks at the earliest, leaving the door open for him to return before the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 29 if the Niners avoid elimination.
A four-year starter at Iowa State, Purdy was the ninth QB drafted in a lackluster 2022 class and secured his roster spot by outplaying seven-year vet Nate Sudfeld in the preseason.
Unleashed in garbage time in Week 7, Purdy hit on four of nine passes for 66 yards and was intercepted in the end zone as the 49ers fell to the Chiefs. Pressed into action against Miami when Garoppolo's left foot was squashed mid-sack, he passed for a pair of scores from three yards out to make up for the pick he lobbed downfield on fourth down.