LAS VEGAS — Steve Young knew it as soon as he saw it.
The date was Dec. 12, 2022. That’s when 49ers starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was injured early in a home game against the Dolphins and 22-year-old, baby-faced Brock Purdy, the last pick in that 2022 draft, was sent in to replace him.
The rest is history. Garoppolo never played another down for the 49ers, the 49ers became Purdy’s and Purdy became the unlikeliest sensation of all unlikely sensations, poised to beat the Chiefs and win Super Bowl 2024 on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
What did Young, the last quarterback to lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl title (30 years ago) and a Hall of Famer, see in Purdy that December day in 2022?
“His processing,’’ Young told The Post over the phone Thursday. “That’s his superpower. His superpower is processing. If you’re [former New England first-round pick] Mac Jones — big, tall, strong, move around — then you go in the first round if you’re that kind of processer. If you’re smaller, not as big, not as strong, not as strong an arm, then you get drafted where Brock was drafted.’’
Last.
Young said Purdy ended up as “Mr. Irrelevant’’ because scouts “don’t appreciate the processing power.’’
“[Purdy] has an ability I call ‘Indiana Jones’ — he finds the treasure in two seconds, faster and better than anybody,’’ Young said. “He’s very consistent, and he’s also kind of aggressive. He’s really efficient yet very aggressive. That’s a special power. There’s not that many guys that do that.
“But, when I say that, people say, ‘Well, he can’t make the plays that those other prototype superstars like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen can make,’ ’’ Young said. “And Brock’s like, ‘OK, I can’t do that. But what I can do is I will grind you into a fine dust with my efficiency.’ ’’
This is why Young doesn’t believe Purdy should be viewed as an underdog to Mahomes on Super Bowl Sunday despite the fact that the Chiefs quarterback is seeking his third ring.
This is what Young recalled thinking after that Miami game, a 33-17 San Francisco win with Purdy completing 25 of 37 for 210 yards with two TDs and an INT: “That’s weird, can he keep doing that?’’
“And the next game, you’re like, ‘Can he really do that?’ ’’ Young went on. “And then it was, ‘Can he really do that? Can he keep this up?’ Then all of a sudden it’s the NFC Championship game and he gets hurt and you’re wondering, ‘Well, can he do it another year?’ ’’
He has.
Purdy led the NFL in passer rating at 113.0, threw 31 TDs to 11 INTs and led the league in yards per attempt (9.9) and yards per completion (13.9). And now, 26 games into his career, including playoffs, he’s 21-5 and is hoping to become the first 49ers quarterback to lead them to a Super Bowl title since Young did it in 1994.
It seems pretty clear that the Purdy doubters and detractors won’t shut up until he wins the Super Bowl.
“The Super Bowl defines everyone’s career,’’ Young said.
It’s fascinating to know what makes Purdy tick, because he’s so mild-mannered and doesn’t appear to have an ounce of swagger to him. Yet he does possess a quiet confidence that tells you, in a very matter-of-fact way, that he knows he’s good.
Young, who’s gotten to know Purdy very well, gives a powerful insight to his soul.
“He has a faith in God that defines him,’’ Young said. “If you want to understand Brock Purdy, you need to understand that part of him. His perspective is, ‘I’m on God’s errand and if He wants me to be a quarterback in the NFL, I’ll do it. If he wants me to grow potatoes in Idaho, I’ll do it. And I’m good with either one. I don’t need be an NFL quarterback to be happy or satisfied.’
“That confidence comes from a peace about his position with God. You need to understand that or you won’t understand him. It’s fundamental to who he is and how he defines himself, others and life.’’
So, even if the 49ers defeat the Chiefs on Sunday, become Super Bowl champions and Purdy’s legacy is cemented, it’s not going to change who he is.
“Brock will be the first to tell you, ‘I’m not as big, I’m not as strong, I’m not fast, I do it my own way, I’m not the prototype. But I win Super Bowls, so … get out of the way, bro.’ ’’
Those, of course, were Young’s words, not Purdy’s.
Purdy’s words will be clearly spelled out on the field Sunday night at Allegiant Stadium.
