He Was the NFL’s Dead Last Pick. Is He Now the MVP?...Quarterback Brock Purdy has 11-3 San Francisco soaring atop the NFC—but he would cast a vote for someone else

Wall Street Journal ^ | Dec. 18, 2023 5:30 am ET | By Jason Gay

[Red Badger]

The clearest sign that Brock Purdy is a big-time NFL quarterback?

We’ve stopped freaking out that Brock Purdy is an NFL quarterback, period.

Because he’s not supposed to be one—at least not according to the edified minds who assemble professional North American football teams, who repeatedly passed over Purdy until San Francisco took him, dead last, 262nd overall, the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

It’s a selection so desultory it comes with a tongue-in-cheek nickname that isn’t really tongue-in-cheek: Mr. Irrelevant.

Last year Purdy’s story was: Wow, Mr. Irrelevant is actually starting games as a rookie for the Niners.

Then it was: Mr. Irrelevant is pretty good!

Now it’s: Is Mr. Irrelevant actually going to win league MVP?

Purdy faces sturdy MVP competition, including Baltimore’s dazzling Lamar Jackson, who was stellar as the Ravens beat Jacksonville Sunday night. There’s Tyreek Hill and Tua Tagovailoa in Miami, and possibly Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia. There’s Dallas’s Dak Prescott, should he rebound from Sunday’s long, losing afternoon against the Buffalo Bills.

There’s also running back Christian McCaffrey, an all-around playmaker on Purdy’s Niners team—though non-quarterbacks tend to be disadvantaged in MVP votes (Adrian Peterson was the last non-QB to win, in 2012).

It’s Purdy who has the inside track after a stellar performance Sunday in which he threw for four touchdowns and 242 yards in a 45-29 defeat of Arizona. Despite taking a heavy hit in the second quarter which caused him to miss a handful of plays, Purdy recovered to steer San Francisco to its sixth straight win and an early clinch of the NFC West division.

[Pilsner]

Joe Montana was taken late in the 3rd Round. But Bill Walsh knew Montana was his guy

If Walsh was so hot on Montana, why did he draft James Owens ahead of Montana?

Not that I should talk. The Cowboy (then) vaunted computer said to draft Montana in the third round, but Tom Landry decided to take tight end Doug Cosbie — a quality starter— and ignore the computer.

[Red Badger]

“Trey Lance? Who’s he?! “

He’s Dallas Cowboys 3rd in line.......................

[Red Badger]

The nickname, “Mr. Irrelevant,” is applied every year to the last person drafted in the NFL Draft, regardless of who or what they are. It has nothing to do with Brock, every person gets it that’s the last drawn. It’s just that this LAST IS NOW FIRST and may become the league MVP!..............

[Red Badger]

QB ‘talent’ is not very predictable.

Just look at how many Heisman Trophy winners have bombed in the NFL. How many #1 or top ten draft picks have not become ‘great’.

A college QB doesn’t face the same level of imminent disaster that a NFL QB does.

Tom Brady was #199 in the draft. Brock Purdy was #262...........

[TangledUpInBlue]

Fully agree and today’s college football is completely different than it used to be. The QB is almost never under center, doesn’t need to read defenses and almost always doesn’t huddle up.

Considering it’s the feeder system - and the only one at that - you’d expect more alignment.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Purdy has the playbook in one hand and a Bible in the other-I’ve read. If that works I’m happy for him.

[SunkenCiv]

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