49ers' George Kittle shares how Brock Purdy has grown as a leader

During a recent chat with Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle detailed how Brock Purdy has emerged as the leader of the team's offense coming off Purdy's first season as the club's full-time starting quarterback.

"He looks like the guy, which is really nice," Kittle said about Purdy. "He’s in the building every day and is the same guy every single day, consistent. He’s incredibly competitive. It’s fun seeing him yell at guys when they don’t hit their route depth or have the wrong landmark."

Numerous analysts said throughout the 2023 campaign that Purdy was little more than a  "game manager" who benefited from having star players as offensive weapons and from playing in a system run by Kyle Shanahan. Some still believe Shanahan could guide the 49ers to more than just a Super Bowl appearance with a supposed upgrade at the sport's most important position, but Kittle suggested that Purdy took full command of Shanahan's offense during the 24-year-old's first full offseason as a healthy QB1.

"He’s taking control of the offense and making it his," Kittle added about Purdy. "It’s Kyle’s, and Kyle is calling the plays, but Brock is getting guys to do what he wants them to do, which is really fun to see."

49ers CEO Jed York somewhat interestingly revealed in February that Shanahan suspected in the summer of 2022 that Purdy, the final pick of that year's NFL Draft, was "our best quarterback" as a rookie. Current Atlanta Falcons tight end Ross Dwelley was with the 49ers at that time and seemed to back the York story.

"I don’t know if Kyle has gone on the record, but he knew he had something special in Brock after (organized team activities) of his first year and midway through training camp," Dwelley told Chan. "He just happened to get an opportunity when some guys got injured, and now he’s who he is. It’s a pretty cool thing to see, and he deserves it all."

DraftKings Sportsbook lists the 49ers as the betting favorites (+250 odds on Monday morning) to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIX. Certain analysts may not yet be ready to name Purdy among the league's elite quarterbacks, but it's clear those who have played alongside him over the past two years believe he has the goods to lead the 49ers to a championship as soon as February 2025.