As Brock Purdy — 2022’s “Mr. Irrelevant” — turned into a 49ers hero of last season, he enters his first season as a full-time starter with the expectation to make waves, so much so that he was compared to a famous fictional protagonist.
San Francisco Hall of Famer Steve Young believes Purdy had a strong showing last season before his elbow injury in the NFC title game against the Eagles.
That good cameo will serve the team well in the upcoming season, said Young, who said Purdy has similar traits to a “Star Wars” Jedi.
“The players smell it,” Young said on the “Tolbert and Copes” show, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “You can feel when Trent Williams was talking about it, and you have guys who have been around a long time, they smelled something special. So that’s real.
“And when I said he had the force last year, he’s Luke Skywalker. He’s got the force.”
Despite having only played in a nine-game stretch, Purdy went undefeated as the starter before facing the Eagles.
That time, to Young, is enough to believe that the quarterback has the potential to take the 49ers to a Super Bowl.
The last time the 49ers were in the Super Bowl was in 2020, when they lost to the Chiefs 31-20.
“Can he be great? Yes. I believe he can be great,” Young said. “Can he win Super Bowls? Yes. I believe he can win Super Bowls. Especially with this roster, this team and where they are. Still, you have to go do it, you have to go prove it again, was it just a roll he got on?”
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said earlier this week that Purdy “would have to melt in practice” to miss out on the starting quarterback job this week and Trey Lance.
Purdy is an interesting quarterback trio with Trey Lance and former Jets first-rounder Sam Darnold.