It might sound hyperbolic, but Brock Purdy could be the best quarterback to taken with the last pick of the NFL draft in league history.
Purdy, who was the "Mr. Irrelevant" pick by the Sn Francisco 49ers in April, was first thrust into action when Jimmy Garoppolo was carted off the field against the Miami Dolphins. The expectations were low for the former Iowa State signal-caller, but he managed to keep one of the best teams in the NFL afloat and taken down Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks.
Taylor Heinicke will certainly not be rooting for Purdy this weekend, but he has been a fan of the fellow quarterback's story over the past month.
"The guy was Mr. Irrelevant," Heinicke said. "He's a shorter quarterback. A lot of guys didn't give him the chance being drafted the last pick of the draft. I kind of feel that similarity towards him. He's doing a great job, man."
While Heinicke's story is a little different -- he went undrafted in 2015 before being picked up by the Minnesota Vikings -- there are some common threads between him and Purdy. Both players were elevated to starter after a veteran was injured, and both played much better than expected in their first starts. And with help from their play, both of their teams have gone on runs to get in good position for the rest of the season.
What's more, Heinicke likes what he has seen from Purdy's quarterback play.
"You watch the film, he knows what he's doing. He throws a nice tight spiral. He's moving that offense well. Our defense got a tough task on their hands. Hopefully he can take a week off and not play as well."
The task of stopping Purdy will be laid upon the Commanders' defense, which will be the best that Purdy will have seen up to this point in his career. Jack Del Rio normally fares well against young quarterbacks, so it will be a tough task for Purdy to overcome.
Here's a morning roundup of what the local and national media have to say about the Washington Commanders on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. All reports, rumors and conjecture are a reflection of the media conversation and are not endorsed or confirmed by the Washington Commanders.
The reports and deals expressed in this article have not been confirmed by Washington, nor do they reflect any insider information from anyone in the front office.
- The Washington Post's Scott Allen provides fans with an outlook on the NFC East.
- The Washington Post's Sam Fortier gives his analysis on the Commanders' quarterback situation.
- The Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala writes that the Commanders are "all hands on deck" for the 49ers game.
- The Washington Times' Matthew Paras provides his perspective on Chase Young's absence.
- NBC Sports Washington's Ethan Cadeaux reports on the status of Benjamin St-Juste.
- The Athletic's Ben Standig gives his reasons for why the Commanders will and will not make the playoffs.
- The Richmond-Times Dispatch's Michael Philips reports on Ron Rivera's Monday comments after Washington's Week 15 defeat.
- The Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala reports on the Commanders' frustrating loss to the Giants.
- The Washington Post's Barry Svrluga gives his perspective on the Week 15 loss.
- The Washington Post's Scott Allen gives four takeaways on the Commanders' loss.
- The Washington Times' Matthew Paras writes about the Commanders reflecting on their loss to the Giants.
- The Washington Times' Jacob Calvin Meyer goes into detail about the Commanders' red zone struggles.
