49ers' Christian McCaffrey praises Brock Purdy amid Trey Lance rumors

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey gushed over 2022 rookie sensation Brock Purdy during a Friday appearance on the NFL Network "Good Morning Football." 

"He had poise," McCaffrey said of Purdy, per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "He had confidence. He [commanded] the huddle. He did his job, and he made plays beyond the X's and O's. And that's really all you want in a quarterback...And obviously, we saw what he did on the field, but off the field, too, he's such an impressive guy. He's a guy you can rely on. He's a great locker room guy, a good dude, and I had a lot of fun playing with him."

Purdy famously entered the NFL as the final pick of the 2022 draft and was largely an afterthought until San Francisco lost both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo to injuries last campaign. The 23-year-old won all five of his regular-season starts and guided the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game until he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow that fateful January afternoon. 

Purdy is recovering from surgery while Lance and free-agency signing Sam Darnold take reps this spring, and it's believed 49ers general manager John Lynch took calls about Lance's availability before the draft because Lynch wants a healthy Purdy to be his QB1. Multiple NFL insiders predicted earlier this offseason Darnold will defeat Lance in a quarterback competition if Purdy isn't cleared before September. 

Whatever happens with Lance, McCaffrey sounds eager to again share an offense with Purdy.

"I was always skeptical of rookie quarterbacks, but I know there have been some great ones," McCaffrey added about Purdy. "And he came in right away, and he's exactly what you would have wanted."

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan recently praised Lance's improvement this offseason, but nobody should read too much into that considering the 2021 first-round draft pick reportedly isn't worth much in the eyes of other teams these days. 

Meanwhile, it seemingly becomes clearer with each passing month that Purdy won more than just games during his first stint atop the San Francisco depth chart.