Ever since his rise from “Mr. Irrelevant” to one of the NFL’s top performing quarterbacks, Brock Purdy has drawn comparisons to Tom Brady.
After all, like Brady, who was a sixth-round pick, Purdy overcame the odds to become not just a starting quarterback, but a really one good. Entering their Week 6 matchup against the Cleveland Browns, the San Francisco 49ers lay claim to a 5-0 record, thanks in no small part to the play of their quarterback.
Appearing on the latest episode of his Let’s Go! podcast, Brady had nothing but praise for the 23-year-old Purdy.
“[The 49ers are] doing a great job, and I played him last year, and they’ve got a great team,” Brady said on the podcast, per NBC Sports Bay Area. “I played on a lot of great teams over the years, too, and what did we do? We controlled the line of scrimmage, we ran the ball well, we stopped the run, they rushed the passer. They’ve been playing with leads, and I give coach [Kyle] Shanahan a lot of credit, too, because he’s done a great job.
“You don’t hear of guys like Brock Purdy until Brock Purdy’s doing amazing things out on the field, so it’s kind of a fun story and I hope it continues for him because he seems like he’s a really humble young man, and he wants to go out there and do great things. I think the more you have that chip on your shoulder like he does, and there were not quite the expectations, it’s nice to go out there and continue to prove people wrong.”
Obviously, Purdy has a long, long way to go to make good on the Brady comparisons, considering the 7-time Super Bowl champion’s status as the most decorated quarterback in NFL history. But so far, the Iowa State product is off to a strong start. And based on the betting odds, it would hardly be a surprise to see him hoisting his first Lombardi Trophy by season’s end.
