Ever been picked dead last for a team? Worst nightmare for junior high kids everywhere. The waiting to be picked. The hoping and praying that you won't be the last one, the one nobody wanted but somebody had to take.
Meet Brock Purdy, the final draft pick of 2022. Number 262 in the draft, earning him the illustrious title of Mr. Irrelevant for 2022. Every year there is a Mr. Irrelevant and some of them do go on to successful careers in the NFL, but you won't have heard of most of them. This is likely the first time that someone with that title has had the opportunity to face off against the Greatest of All Time in his first start in the league. Brock Purdy, 22, rookie, Mr. Irrelevant, vs. Tom Brady, 45, in his 22nd season in the NFL. Yes, it's true. Tom has been playing in the NFL almost as long as Brock Purdy has been alive. Brock was not even 5 months old when Tom was drafted.
Brock Purdy. If you aren't from Iowa you have probably never heard of Brock Purdy. He was a pretty big deal at Iowa State, winning numerous awards and breaking records for the school. He was used to being in the spotlight for being a great quarterback and maybe an even nicer guy based on his awards. But then he is picked very last in the draft. Nobody expects the guy picked last in the draft to play in his first season, let alone a 3rd string quarterback for a team as strong as San Francisco.
If you are a 49er fan like me, this has been quite the season. Trey Lance over Jimmy Garrappolo for the starting position. Jimmy getting picked back up at the last minute to stay a part of the team, and then having to get back in the action immediately after Trey gets taken out with an ankle injury game 1. Jimmy has done a great job moving the team forward this season until, as though it is the year of ankle injuries, we lost Jimmy in the first quarter of week 13. Our record going into this week sits at 8-4, atop the NFC West.
But today we enter week 14 with Mr. Irrelevant starting his first NFL game, and it just happens to be against Tom Brady. I woke up this morning feeling that today is a bit like David vs. Goliath. The 49ers are really strong this year, with Kittle, Deebo, Ayuk and Kyle Jusczkyck, and then in case that wasn't enough, sealed with the addition of Christian McCaffrey coming on board a few weeks ago. Brock has a lot of weapons in his arsenal and I hope he uses them well. And Tom is struggling this year, his Tampa Bay Bucs at 6-6 and only in playoff contention because the NFC South is so pathetic.
I can't imagine how Brock Purdy is positioning himself right now. The drama, the stories, the press circling around him using the same terms I'm using in this blog post. What will today hold?
Kickoff is in about 4 hours and I, for one, hope that today proves to be a moment when we see the last being first, and the first being last. I want today to be the stuff of sermon illustrations. The underdog stories. The gift of opportunity. it is replete with possibilities and I can't wait!
But for now I am off to church!
