Brock Purdy was underrated in high school too

Purdy has gone from overlooked high school recruit to one of the best QBs in the NFL

Brock Purdy was the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior at Perry High School in 2017. / Arizona Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK

Less than three years after becoming Mr. Irrelevant as the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, Brock Purdy is now a household name.

Purdy was a three-star recruit in the class of 2018 coming out of Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona. He played in 11 games for the Pumas as a sophomore, finishing with eight touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. He had a breakout season as a junior, throwing for more than 333 yards per game. He finished that season with 42 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions, also rushing for 842 yards and six touchdowns.

Despite Purdy's junior season, he had only four scholarship offers entering his senior year. Purdy took his game to another level in his final season, surpassing 4,400 passing yards in 14 games. He also rushed for more than 1,000 yards, scoring 10 touchdowns on the ground. He was named the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year, setting an AIA 6A record with 57 touchdown passes as a senior.

Purdy led Perry to the Arizona 6A State championship game that season, falling to local power Chandler 49-42. Purdy threw for 322 yards and five touchdowns in that game, also rushing for 131 yards and a touchdown. Soon after, the scholarship offers began to roll in. Check out his high school highlights:

Purdy spent the next month taking official visits to Iowa State, Boise State, Central Florida, Texas A&M and Alabama before committing to the Cyclones on National Signing Day in February. He started eight games as a freshman before taking over full-time in each of his final three seasons in Ames. He threw for more than 12,000 yards and had 81 passing touchdowns and 19 rushing touchdowns.

Despite his production in college, Purdy was not among the top quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft, with many publications expecting him to go undrafted. He was the last of nine quarterbacks to be drafted when San Francisco picked him at No. 262.

Purdy began the 2022 season as the third-string quarterback for the 49ers. Following injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, Purdy was thrust into duty in week 13. He led the 49ers to five straight wins to close out the regular season. After winning two playoff games, Purdy was hurt in the first quarter of the NFC Championship game against Philadelphia, requiring elbow surgery.

In the 2023 season, Purdy led the 49ers to a 12-4 regular season while racking up 4,280 yards passing and 31 touchdown passes. He helped lead S.F. to the Super Bowl, where they fell to Kansas City in overtime. He now begins his second full season as San Francisco's starting quarterback.

-- Bodie De Silva | bodie@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveca

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