Brock Purdy went from being “Mr. Irrelevant” to one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. The Purdy story is anything but ordinary. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback has rewritten the narrative that critics had written for him. Purdy was initially drafted as the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but the story has changed ever since.
In his rookie season, Purdy went on to lead the injury-hit 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance, earned a Pro Bowl nod, and finished fourth in MVP voting for 2023. And he did all the posting a 23–13 regular season record over three years. He may have been the last name called on draft day, but his rise began long before that. And his college resume proves it.
From 3-Star Recruit to NFL Star: Revisiting Brock Purdy’s Recruiting Journey
2025 will be remembered as the Brock Purdy year. Not so long ago, it was confirmed that the 49ers have locked in their breakout star with a five-year contract that comes with a $265 million extension.
That number officially ties him with Jared Goff as the NFL’s seventh-highest-paid quarterback. That’s $53 million per year for the man who was picked last on draft day. But this is no one-season wonder tale.
BREAKING: 49ers and QB Brock Purdy agree to terms on a five-year, $265M contract extension, including $181M in total guarantees. (via @RapSheet, @TomPelissero, @MikeGarafolo) pic.twitter.com/X9rbw300WN
— NFL (@NFL) May 16, 2025
Despite a rocky 2024 campaign, with a 6-9 record and career lows in completion percentage (65.9%), San Francisco knows what they have. They know it all too well because long before Purdy was saving seasons in the Bay, he was rewriting record books at Iowa State.
Brock Purdy has never been a flashy star. He did not come out of high school with a five-star chip on his shoulder. Nor was he headlining national recruiting boards or starring in high school highlight montages. Purdy was rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN.
Purdy committed to Iowa State in 2018 for a chance to build something in Ames. And no doubt, he did just that. By the time Purdy had ended his college career, he was one of the most decorated quarterbacks in Cyclones history.
The numbers speak for themselves. Brock Purdy has over 12,000 passing yards, 100 total touchdowns, and 32 school records to his name. He was the first ISU QB to start four straight bowl games, the winningest quarterback in school history with a 30–17 record, and he earned All-Big 12 honors in multiple seasons.
May it be Fiesta Bowl MVP or Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, Purdy was proving time and time again that he is no less than a five-star recruit. Perhaps what defined his time most, though, was consistency.
Purdy started 46 straight games and showed up in every big moment. As a sophomore, he threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns. In 2021, he led the Big 12 in completion percentage with 71.7%. This number also broke his own school record. His ability to read the game and make smart plays made him quite a storm. Yet, he was somehow always under the radar, but circling nevertheless. But that was just the beginning.
In his junior year at Iowa State, Brock Purdy was all the collegiate world could talk about. He started all 12 games in the 2020 season and completed 243 of 365 passes for 2,750 yards and 19 touchdowns. He even had five rushing scores and tallied 382 yards on the ground. That year, Purdy’s total offense reached 3,132 yards, the fifth-best mark in program history. In hindsight, that three-star rating seems hilariously modest.
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But it was just enough to light a fire and just low enough to fuel a quarterback now cashing in at the highest level. So while the NFL once called him “Mr. Irrelevant,” college football fans and now the 49ers know better. Brock Purdy has always been built for more.
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