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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Brock Purdy admits he doubted football future before he was drafted

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 8/29/23

There’s no question that the San Francisco 49ers are committed to Brock Purdy as their long-term franchise quarterback.

But as he was preparing at Iowa State for the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy admitted that he himself doubted whether or not he actually belonged in the NFL, and he began to ponder what life after football would be like before his career even started.

"I'm not going to lie, I had a lot of doubt," Purdy said in a recent interview with Spectrum Sports, via CBS Sports. “My identity's got to be in something other than football because obviously if this isn't going to work out, where am I going to go? What am I going to do? Who am I going to lean on?”

Coming out of college, Purdy wasn’t viewed as a Day 1 or 2 quarterback prospect like Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis or Desmond Ridder. And his body of work at Iowa State — while impressive compared to past Cyclones QBs — didn’t hold up to many of the eight signal callers drafted ahead of him.

Despite being the last player drafted in 2022 and the ninth quarterback picked, Purdy led all rookie QBs last year in touchdown passes (13), and he ranked second in passing yards (1,347) and completion percentage (67.1).

“This guy changed the entire program” — John Lynch on Brock Purdy

John was on The Pivot Podcast and talked about the 3 people who really get that credit for drafting Brock:https://t.co/QQ7hxwZ6rR pic.twitter.com/WIcZz2M7j7
— Coach Yac (@Coach_Yac) August 27, 2023

He went 7-0 as a starter before the 49ers lost the NFC Championship Game to the Philadelphia Eagles. Though he faced a lengthy rehab process with his torn UCL, Purdy had shown the 49ers enough to convince them that he — not Trey Lance — was their future. He was subsequently handed the keys to the offense while Lance is now in Dallas.

As Purdy spent the offseason recovering from elbow surgery, he was unsure if he’d even be able to play in 2023. But as he rehabbed (and ultimately returned one month ahead of schedule), the 23-year-old leaned into his faith — the same faith he turned to when he had doubts about a future in football.

“I didn't want to grip onto this life of, 'Oh my gosh, I'm in the NFL,” Purdy added. “I have a starting quarterback role. I can't lose it.' I was reminded of what Jesus had told us thousands of years ago in terms of, don't try to hold onto your life; you're going to lose it. The minute you have fame, and if you're trying to chase status and money and all this stuff, you'll lose your life -- rather than denying yourself, picking up your cross, keeping your eyes on Jesus and His promises. That's life, and that's a life worth living."

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