As Brock Purdy enters his first season as the 49ers full-time starter, the sophomore quarterback has a lot of lofty expectations to try and meet. Although he was a seventh-round pick, Purdy played so well down the stretch last year that people already think he can lead San Francisco to a title.
49ers Hall of Famer Steve Young is one such analyst who is behind Purdy, believing that Purdy’s success last year is already tangible. Young saw so much potential in Purdy that he compared him to a famous Hollywood protagonist.
“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.”
While Purdy doesn’t have arm strength and size like Justin Herbert or Josh Allen, Young does not believe that matters.
After 2022’s “Mr. Irrelevant” went undefeated as the starter last season up until San Francisco lost to the Eagles in the NFC championship game, Young thinks he’s seen enough to declare that Purdy has championship potential.
“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?”
The entire 49ers organization seems behind Purdy entering the season, and with a roster ready to win now, the pressure is on the quarterback to deliver.
