49ers' Brock Purdy motivated to prove he's not 'irrelevant'

San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy isn't bothered by the "Mr. Irrelevant" nickname he earned for being the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. 

"...I've always believed that I don't care what slot, what round, what pick that I get picked or if I was undrafted," Purdy said ahead of his first pro start, per Angelina Martin of NBC Sports Bay Area. "My whole thing was, man, I just want to go out and prove to myself that I can play at this level. And so that's always been my mentality." 

Purdy was supposed to sit behind starter Trey Lance and backup Jimmy Garoppolo throughout his debut NFL campaign but was elevated on the depth chart after Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. The 22-year-old was then called into action when Garoppolo went down with a broken foot against the Miami Dolphins last Sunday, and that development made Purdy "Irrelevant" no more. 

"...At the end of the day, for me, it's like, man, I got an opportunity to come and play for the 49ers and compete, make the team, and do what it takes to push these guys in the locker room and win at all costs," Purdy added during his comments. "That's really where I've been with it." 

Purdy left teammates believing he can guide the 49ers to Super Bowl LVII when he completed 25-of-37 passes for 210 yards with two touchdowns and one interception en route to leading San Francisco to a 33-17 win over Miami. He will now guide the 8-4 49ers into this Sunday's home game against a 6-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers side that features Tom Brady -- known as "the G.O.A.T." by Purdy and many others. 

Purdy insisted he doesn't "hate" the "Mr. Irrelevant" term, but one wonders if he'll earn a new moniker if he outplays Brady at Levi's Stadium.