49ers QB Brock Purdy is One of Top 5 QB Draft Values of Millenium

Brock Purdy has started just 36 games in his career, and yet he already is one of the best draft picks of all time, regardless of position.

Jan 28, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) holds the George Halas Trophy while after winning the NFC Championship football game against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Brock Purdy has started just 42 games in his career, and yet he already is one of the best draft picks of all time, regardless of position.

Simply becoming a starting quarterback was an incredible accomplishment for Purdy, who was the last pick of the NFL Draft. The fact that he's now the seventh-highest-paid player in the NFL makes him legendary.

That's why NFL.com ranks Purdy the fifth-best quarterback draft value of the past 25 years.

"The title of Mr. Irrelevant, annually awarded to the final player selected in the NFL draft, always felt like something of a backhanded compliment -- at least, until Purdy made it much cooler," writes NFL.com's Eric Edholm.

Taken with pick No. 262 (tied for the latest pick since the seven-round format was introduced in 1994), Purdy was thrown into the mix in December of his rookie year, leading the 49ers to seven straight wins (including two in the playoffs) before suffering a major elbow injury in the 49ers' NFC Championship Game loss.

"Purdy not only recovered from the injury, but he turned in his finest season to date in 2023, finishing fourth in the MVP voting and leading the Niners back to the Super Bowl. They might have lost that game to the Chiefs, but Purdy's play earned him a new level of respect. Even a down 2024 season didn't dissuade the franchise from making him one of the 10 highest-paid players in the NFL, at an average of $53 million per year.

"Purdy's body of work remains incomplete and doesn't stack up next to those of some Hall of Fame-caliber passers drafted in the past 25 years. But none of them were drafted in this range. While we don't yet know if Purdy will become one of the all-time greats, his impressive résumé, contract extension and surprising draft pedigree make him worthy of inclusion on this list."

Edholm certainly glossed over Purdy's down season last year, but to his point, so did the 49ers. They gave him by far the richest contract in franchise history, so they don't think he's the problem. Which means head coach Kyle Shanahan probably will be on the hot seat if the 49ers miss the playoffs again next year.

Still, if Purdy struggles again in 2025, people will begin to wonder if the hot start to his career was short-lived and if the rest of the league has figured him out. He still has much to prove.