What more does a quarterback who has been to a Super Bowl and two NFC Championship games have to do to earn respect? San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was picked last in the 2022 NFL Draft and hence became Mr. Irrelevant. For one of his teammates, Purdy’s on-field success still doesn’t seem enough to erase the ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ label from his draft card.

“I don’t know what it is, what it’s going to take for this guy to finally get the respect that I think he truly deserves,” said 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk on a recent episode of The Jim Rose Show.

“Season in, season out, he plays tremendously, and I don’t know what it is. I don’t know if it’s just the fact that he’s not a first-round draft pick, if that is just going to be the story for his entire career, and be kind of held against him. Maybe. I love the guy, as a person, as my quarterback, as a football player. He is the dude.”

Kyle Juszczyk has been in the Bay Area since 2017 and has played with Purdy since then. The 34-year-old is currently in the last year of his NFL contract, worth $7.5 million.

Purdy represented Iowa State for four years before his name was called in the 2022 NFL Draft. While the 49ers selected him, he was their final pick from the 7th round (262 overall). Although the expectations weren’t sky high, he silenced everyone who doubted him with his performance in the rookie season itself.

The Iowa State graduate was added to the squad for depth, but ended up receiving a debut in the very first season after Niners’ QB1 and back-up QB were ruled out following season-ending injuries. Trey Lance, the designated QB1 for the 2022 season, suffered a broken ankle in Week 2, whereas backup Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a broken foot in Week 13, leading to Purdy’s debut.

Purdy marked his arrival in the league with an outstanding performance in Week 14 of the season, beating Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and becoming the first rookie quarterback to defeat a team led by the seven-time Super Bowl winner. Following a strong first impression, Purdy never looked back, becoming the franchise’s star QB1 to this day.

Purdy’s impact is undeniable: in the 45 games he has started, the 49ers have a 30-15 record, fueled by his 11,685 passing yards and 84 touchdowns on an efficient 67.9% completion rate. His consistent production has reflected on the team’s performance, as the Niners qualified for the playoffs in two of the three seasons under his leadership, including a Super Bowl appearance in 2023.

Following his impressive performance, the 49ers offered Purdy a massive contract extension in 2025: $265 million for 5 years, a notable increase from his initial rookie contract as a seventh-round pick that didn’t even pay him $1 million a year.

With that, he also maintained a dominant display last season, taking the Niners to the Divisional round and recording over 2,000 passing and 20 touchdowns from just nine regular-season games. It’s unfair to criticize Purdy for his draft position, especially since he has already outshone many first-round picks from that draft, including Kenny Pickett.

While Purdy ranks among the elite quarterbacks in the league today, he isn’t the only late-round pick to have such a dramatic career resurgence.

Late-round and undrafted stars proving success isn’t tied to draft position

Tom Brady is considered the biggest steal in draft history. The GOAT started at the bottom but rose to the top through hard work, determination, and a winning mentality. A young Brady, who was an alumnus of Michigan, didn’t have the athletic build and physical traits of a franchise quarterback, which was one of the reasons the Patriots picked him in the 6th round (199 overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft.

However, he flipped the script with the New England Patriots, alongside Bill Belichick, for 20 seasons. He won impressive accolades with the franchise, including seven Super Bowls, fifteen Pro-Bowls, and five Super Bowl MVPs, proving that a late-round pick can reach the pinnacle of greatness.

In addition to Brady, the Dallas Cowboys legend Tony Romo remains another notable example, who went undrafted before Jerry Jones signed him. After spending his entire 14-season career in Dallas, he was nominated to four Pro-Bowl honors, finished with the franchise’s second-most passing yards (34,183), and most passing touchdowns (248) as a quarterback.

The all-time Cowboys passing yards leader (35, 989) and the team’s current quarterback, Dak Prescott, was picked in the 4th round of the 2016 Draft (135th overall). Nevertheless, it has done little to disrupt his career, as he has been a starter for the franchise since setting foot in the big league.

Taking inspiration from these legendary players, Brock Purdy’s late-round label might linger, but his elite production over the past three seasons tells a different story. Perhaps adding a Super Bowl ring like Tom Brady could be his ultimate mic drop, and with a coach like Kyle Shanahan, it looks like a real possibility.