Brock Purdy’s Path From Mr. Irrelevant to Record-Breaking Hobby Darling

The final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, Brock Purdy has become one of the sports card hobby’s most popular players.

Brock Purdy is 24 years old and just days away from competing on football’s biggest stage. 

He’ll face an uphill battle as he leads the San Francisco 49ers against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and their ultra-resourceful QB, Patrick Mahomes. 

A two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl champ, Mahomes certainly has the advantage in experience.

Making the Grade

Challenges are nothing new to Purdy and he’s used to leading his teams to victory. As a senior at Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona, Purdy passed for 4,405 yards, rushed for 1,017 yards and scored 67 touchdowns (57 passing, 10 rushing) to lead the Pumas to the 6A Division AIA State Championship game. 

After fielding multiple scholarship offers from the likes of Alabama, Boise State and Central Florida, Purdy accepted a full ride to Iowa State.

His rationale was simple: “I want to go someplace where I can develop and get ready for the NFL," Purdy said at the time.

Purdy’s intensity and arm strength grew in college. In four seasons competing in the Big 12, he led the Cyclones to four winning seasons with a combined record of 29-17 while completing 67% of his passes for over 12,000 yards and 100 total touchdowns. Yet, after all that, things suddenly cooled at the 2022 NFL Draft.

Standing just under 6-foot-1, Purdy was overlooked and nearly forgotten. In fact, he wasn’t selected until the very last pick of the seventh and final round. He was chosen by the Niners with the 262nd overall pick, a selection often referred to as “Mr. Irrelevant” in football circles.

Goldin Auctions

Was it just dumb luck that Niners general manager John Lynch obtained the soon-to-be Super Bowl starter with such a late pick? Good question. Only two other Mr. Irrelevant picks have ever made it to the Super Bowl. Jim Finn (1999) was a fullback for the 2007 New York Giants but spent the entire season on injured reserve. Ryan Succop (2009), a placekicker, helped the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV and became the first to play and win a Super Bowl as a starter and active player.

Meteoric Rise

The path Purdy has taken as a 49er to get to Allegiant Stadium has been a whirlwind. His moment arrived in Week 13 of the 2022 season against the Dolphins after starter Jimmy Garappolo went down with a foot injury. Purdy took the keys and drove San Francisco to six straight regular-season wins and the NFC title game before falling to the Eagles, 31-7 — a game where Purdy was sidelined in the first quarter after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. After rehabbing his throwing arm, Purdy’s 2023 campaign has been nothing short of spectacular while leading the Niners to the best record in the NFC (13-4).

PWCC Marketplace

He will be the third-youngest quarterback to start in the Super Bowl and one of only seven to do so at age 24. Dan Marino (1983 Dolphins) and Ben Roethlisberger (2005 Steelers) are the only QBs to start in a Super Bowl at age 23 — Purdy even wears No. 13 as a tribute to Marino.

Purdy Collectibles on the Rise

To no one’s surprise, Purdy’s trading cards and autographs are sought-after commodities by collectors. As a rookie in 2022, he appeared in a variety of sets, including flagship products like Donruss, Prizm and National Treasures, though his draft status left him with far fewer overall cards than many of his peers.

His stock has been rising ever since his awe-inspiring debut against Miami.

“Purdy cards began to sprout early in the ‘23 regular season when he proved healthy enough to start without any setbacks from his injury,” SCP Auctions Vice President Brendan Wells said. “As a huge 49ers fan myself having grown up in the Bay Area, I spent a pretty penny on a signed, low-numbered Purdy rookie in the fall before he’d ever lost a regular-season game, only to see him lose three straight — just my luck — and watch his card prices drop.

“But after finishing the season strong, his card prices are back up again. There are tons of card listings on eBay. And Fanatics, which has an exclusive player agreement with Purdy for his game-used items, has sold a few jerseys from his biggest games and wins to date in the mid-five figures.”

Purdy’s status in the high-end market has continued to grow, too, with multiple cards selling for six figures.

Alt

Graded a BGS 8.5 with a 10 auto, Purdy’s 2022 National Treasures Rookie Patch Auto Platinum 1/1 sold for $122,000 through Goldin Auctions last October and then again for $134,200 this January.

In December, Purdy’s 2022 Panini National Treasures Rookie Patch Autograph Stars & Stripes Platinum NFL Shield 1/1 sold for a record $186,000. Graded by PSA, both the card and autograph received perfect 10s. That sale vaulted the second-year QB to become the highest publicly sold 49ers trading card of all time, surpassing even the biggest sales from Hall of Famers like Jerry Rice ($150,000), Steve Young ($120,000) and Joe Montana ($114,000).

In January, Purdy’s 2022 Prizm Black Finite 1/1 PSA 10 sold for $125,723 through Alt.

PWCC’s record sale makes Purdy the second highest-selling active quarterback at auction in 2023. The only other current QB to have cards sell for more than Purdy this past year? Patrick Mahomes.

“There’s no doubt that Brock’s cards and memorabilia will see a big uptick if the 49ers win their sixth Super Bowl,” said Wells. “But even if they lose and he plays well, I think his value and collectability will remain strong through the offseason.”