49ers' Nick Bosa reflects on 'unbelievable' Brock Purdy surprise

San Francisco 49ers superstar pass-rusher Nick Bosa acknowledged he didn't expect quarterback Brock Purdy to go from being the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft to becoming a legitimate candidate to win the Most Valuable Player Award by December 2023. 

"I think it's one of the most pleasant surprises of my life, Brock Purdy coming in here and being an MVP-caliber quarterback and just such a humble, good dude," Bosa said during a Wednesday morning appearance on San Francisco sports radio station 95.7 The Game, per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone.

Purdy began his rookie season buried on the depth chart beneath 2022 Week 1 starter Trey Lance and veteran Jimmy Garoppolo but was called to serve as a franchise savior last December when both Lance and Garoppolo were sidelined with injuries.

The 23-year-old ultimately guided the Niners to the NFC Championship Game before he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow during that contest, and he now has San Francisco at 10-3 heading into this Sunday's game at the 3-10 Arizona Cardinals. 

According to ESPN stats, Purdy enters Week 15 leading the NFL among qualified players with a 74.7 adjusted QBR, a 116.9 passer rating, a 70.2% completion percentage and an average of 9.9 yards per pass attempt on the season. 

As of Wednesday afternoon, oddschecker listed Purdy as second among the betting favorites at +200 odds to win MVP behind only Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys (+160).

Purdy made it known earlier this week that he's "not getting caught up in awards and stuff like that" and instead is focused on helping the 49ers try to earn the No. 1 seed for the NFC portion of the playoffs. Bosa seems unsurprised that Purdy isn't taking personal victory laps ahead of Christmas. 

"A lot of people change up when they have success, and it's definitely not who he is," Bosa added about Purdy. "He just keeps impressing week in and week out. It's a really unbelievable story."

On Wednesday, oddschecker had the 49ers as the overall betting favorites at +260 odds to win Super Bowl LVIII. Purdy is no longer a "pleasant surprise," so much so that San Francisco's season may be considered a massive disappointment if he doesn't hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy in February.