Brock Purdy: From Mr. Irrelevant to Mister Relevant

A short history of a very long wait on draft day. Compiled by the unofficial Department of Relevance.

2022: Pick 262, opportunity one

On April 30, 2022, the San Francisco 49ers selected Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy with the final pick of the NFL Draft: No. 262. That made him the year’s Mr. Irrelevant. It did not make his college work disappear: in his senior season at Iowa State, he threw for 3,188 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Department assessment: a low draft number is an administrative detail. Unfortunately, 261 other selections are a fairly large administrative detail.

December 2022: The backup becomes the story

Injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo opened the starting job to Purdy. On December 11, in his first NFL start, he helped the 49ers beat Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35–7. A player introduced as the last pick was suddenly a central part of San Francisco’s season.

Department assessment: relevance application approved. Facial-hair application remains under review.

February 2024: A Super Bowl starting quarterback

Less than two years after draft day, Purdy started for the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs. San Francisco lost in overtime, but the journey from final selection to the championship game had already made the nickname feel wonderfully inadequate.

Why we call him Mister Relevant

This site celebrates the distance between an expectation and a performance. “Mister Relevant” and “Mr. Relevant” are our fan shorthand for that story. They are not official titles, and this is not Brock’s personal website.

The joke works because the underlying story is real: being selected last did not prevent Purdy from earning a much larger role. The PhD, on the other hand, remains entirely a Department of Vibes production.

Actual sources, no honorary degrees

49ers: the original 2022 draft announcement.

49ers: Purdy’s first NFL start against Tampa Bay.

Watch Purdy discuss his Super Bowl preparations.

Brock Purdy on Wikipedia — a broader career overview.

Next: the history of Mr. Irrelevant. Or return to Mister Relevant.

Unofficial fan site. Not affiliated with Brock Purdy or the San Francisco 49ers.