Former Pro Bowler rips scouts for passing over Brock Purdy
Thirty-one teams passed on Brock Purdy in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Now he’s just one win away from becoming the first rookie QB to lead his team to a Super Bowl and former Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith is wondering why so many teams whiffed in their scouting of the 23-year-old Iowa State alum.
“What Brock Purdy has been able to do in these last eight games is what some of these former first-round draft picks have not been able to do,” Smith said on a recent appearance on the “Cut To It” podcast. “… Brock Purdy has shown us he can play in this league. But yet, we’ve got other first-round draft picks who’ve shown us they can’t play in this league but get opportunity after opportunity after opportunity. … You know how it happened? Newsflash: scouts are scared to put their name on it.”
Smith also stated that scouts are too hyper-focused on players from big-name schools, which causes them to overlook more talented players from smaller schools. He named New York Jets QB Zach Wilson and former first-round picks Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen as examples of high draft picks wasted due to large-school bias.
Purdy threw for 1,374 yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions in nine regular season games, going 5-0 as a starter. He led all rookie quarterbacks in touchdowns and ranked second in passing yards and completion percentage.
In the postseason, he’s led San Francisco to playoff games over the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys, passing for 546 yards and three touchdowns with zero turnovers. Purdy and the 49ers play the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in the NFC Championship game.
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