Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN analyst Ben Solak recently embarked on an intriguing project: naming the best NFL Draft pick ever at each slot from No. 1 to No. 262. One recent San Francisco 49ers selection was an obvious choice for that final spot—quarterback Brock Purdy, who became “Mr. Irrelevant” in 2022 and promptly proved he was anything but irrelevant.
Purdy burst onto the scene as a rookie, starting out of necessity after the two quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart went down with injuries. He seized the opportunity, impressing the NFL world with his veteran-like poise and ability to succeed at the pro level.
His performance was so strong that he turned his chance into a five-year, $262 million extension, going from “Mr. Irrelevant” to one of the highest-paid players in league history.
“Where else could our exercise end than with Purdy, who is the most famous seventh-round pick in modern history and perhaps ever?” Solak wrote. “It could end on Jeff Van Note, technically — an 18-year (wow!) Falcon, who made two All-Pro lists at center. But Purdy gets a bump for being the last pick in his draft, whereas Van Note was the 262nd out of 442 selections. I don’t know why that matters to me, but it does.”
Purdy enters his fourth NFL season looking to rebound from a disappointing 2024 campaign that saw the 49ers finish 6-11. While Purdy’s stats were respectable, they fell short of his stellar 2023 numbers, when he set a single-season franchise record with 4,280 passing yards. He couldn’t carry the team through the adversity of an injury-marred campaign.
Purdy and the 49ers hope better health in 2025 will help them prove that last season’s struggles were an outlier rather than a sign that the team’s championship window has closed.
Obviously, several 49ers legends made Solak’s list, including Ronnie Lott at No. 8, Jerry Rice at No. 16, and Joe Montana at No. 82. The modern roster is also well represented, with linebacker Fred Warner named the best pick at No. 70, tight end George Kittle at No. 146, and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir at No. 172.
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