Brock Purdy and Patrick Mahomes share one key QB trait, says Steve Young: NBC Sports Bay Area and California
By Staff ReporterPublished On: October 8, 2023Categories: Patrick MahomesComments Off on Brock Purdy and Patrick Mahomes share one key QB trait, says Steve Young: NBC Sports Bay Area and California
Brock Purdy isn’t a first-round pick like Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes, but the 49ers quarterback is certainly playing like one.
Purdy has yet to lose an NFL game that he has started and finished, and so far in 2023, he has the league’s best passer rating at 115.1. So why doesn’t he command the same respect as his peers?
Hall of Fame quarterback and 49ers legend Steve Young believes it’s because Purdy, the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, is bucking the status quo by showing that scouts and general managers conveyed it badly. On the field, Young thinks it’s clear that Purdy has a make-or-break quality just like Mahomes that wouldn’t have appeared at the combine.
“They don’t know the position as they say, because the position is really about deception and an innate gift from heaven, somehow, to be able to lower the heart rate when everyone else is anxious and under pressure,” Young said in an exclusive interview with NBC Bay Area’s Raj Mathai. “You just react differently — you respond. And then there’s 22 people on the field, including you, and it’s not overwhelming.
“It’s like, ‘Oh, I get it. That’s all right. I’m not overwhelmed by it.” And that’s a very rare quality that we look for in quarterbacks everywhere… But in the NFL, very few are naturally at peace. And that’s why when I compare him to Patrick Mahomes, I compare him with how Patrick feels. at peace. We all grew up. Some guys just show up. Patrick showed up at peace, and so did Brock. The draft doesn’t get that.”
Young is right: Purdy’s rise has been improbable since he took over the starting role for the 49ers from an injured Jimmy Garoppolo last season. He broke countless records in 2022 both during the regular season and in the playoffs courtesy of Mr. Irrelevant milestones, with his success aided by four years as a college starter at Iowa State.
And no sophomore slump here: Purdy’s numbers in 2023 have helped his name enter the NFL MVP conversation, dispelling the notion that he’s simply a benefactor of coach Kyle Shanahan’s system . But, as Young said, there are still some who can’t accept the quarterback Purdy has become.
Or, the quarterback he’s always been. However, before Purdy can truly be compared to Mahomes, he will need to hoist a Vince Lombardi trophy or two. Meanwhile, the 49ers Faithful can rest assured that the young signal caller will be calm, cool and collected against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
