San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Brock Purdy's former college teammate: 'I knew he’d embrace Mr. Irrelevant'

Brock Purdy is just two wins away from becoming an NFL legend. There's a decently long list of quarterbacks who have won the Super Bowl before.

 Going from the very last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft to leading the storied San Francisco 49ers to another Lombardi Trophy, though?

A lot of ink has been spilled regarding Purdy's draft status as "Mr. Irrelevant", the tongue-in-cheek title that is given to the very last pick in every draft. 

Much more internet ink will be spilled if Purdy can lead the 49ers on the road to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship this upcoming weekend, and what a story that would be.

Even Disney couldn't write that script, but it's a story that hasn't surprised everyone.

Baltimore Ravens rookie tight end Charlie Kolar played with Purdy at Iowa State for four seasons. 

Kolar caught 168 passes for 2,181 yards and 23 touchdowns in his ISU career, so he knows the quarterback well.

Well enough to know that Purdy wasn't going to be phased by the "Mr. Irrelevant" tag. In fact, he knew Purdy would use it as a chip on his shoulder.

“I thought it was perfect for Brock,” Kolar said regarding Purdy being the very last pick in the draft, per NBC Sports. “I knew he’d embrace Mr. Irrelevant, and he wouldn’t care about all that other stuff.”

Purdy has taken advantage of injuries to Jimmy Garoppolo and 2021 No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance to grab hold of the 49ers' starting quarterback role and with two more wins, he may never have to give it back.

He completed 67.1% of his passes in nine regular season games for 1,374 yards and 13 touchdowns with four interceptions. 

Through two playoff wins, he's completed 37-of-59 passes for 546 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed in a touchdown in the Wild Card round.

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