The San Francisco 49ers have a lot of confidence in their second-year quarterback, Brock Purdy. That includes everyone from teammates and coaches to the front office. They see Purdy, the last overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, as their quarterback of the future.
Purdy has started nine games now. Five regular-season starts as a rookie last season, three playoff games, and Sunday's Week 1 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite coming off major surgery on his throwing arm, Purdy looked like the efficient leader fans grew to love last season.
"Purdy, he's done a great job since the moment he came in there and started his first start," wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk said Tuesday morning on KNBR's "Murph and Mac" show. "Even when he ended up taking over in that Miami game. I think trust is very big. We talk about it in our offense all the time. If the quarterback can trust we're going to be in a spot, where we're supposed to be, then we can complete passes even when we have terrible looks. We can still continue to complete the ball, move the sticks, keep the offense flowing. And I think trust is the main thing with that.
"But Purdy, I'm enjoying playing with him. He gives us confidence every single week. He gives us a bunch of confidence. So much confidence going in every game that not only are we going to win the game, but you have a chance to have a great game as well. So I'm loving playing with him."
Purdy finished Sunday's game 19-of-29 for 220 yards with two touchdowns and a passer rating of 111.3. He is the first quarterback in NFL history to win his first six career regular-season starts while throwing at least two touchdown passes in each game.
Purdy also became the first quarterback in NFL history with a passer rating of 95 or higher in each of his first six career regular-season starts.
Again, Purdy was the last pick in his entire draft class. Yet, Aiyuk believes the quarterback has "it."
"I'm not sure I can even define what 'it' is, but he has 'it,'" said the receiver.
You would never know that Purdy has started only a handful of NFL games by watching the quarterback on game days. He is a natural leader.
"He plays with an extreme poise, but also poise and urgency," Aiyuk shared. "It's like a mix of poise and urgency. He's never too lagged. He's just always on point. He's on point. He's ready to go. He plays with that swag that just bleeds all the way down to the rest of the offense, down to the rest of the team, that everybody can build off. Like I said, he has 'it.'"
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