Why 49ers' Purdy draws Hurts comparison from Peter King

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The 2022 NFL season has come and gone with Brock Purdy's emergence being one of the more prominent storylines. The rookie went from Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 NFL Draft to the 49ers' starting quarterback, where he led the team to the 2023 NFC Championship Game. 

After Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a season-ending foot injury against the Miami Dolphins in Week 13, Purdy was thrust into the spotlight. NBC Sports' Peter King highlighted the traits he saw that allowed the Iowa State product to succeed last season in the latest "49ers Talk" episode.

"He's got so much in common with Jalen Hurts as a young player," King recently told NBC Sports Bay Area's Jennifer Lee Chan and Matt Maiocco at Super Bowl LVII Radio Row in Phoenix. 

"They don't care what the outside world is thinking, saying whatever. They know that they're really good, and they know that they're going to play really well. I mean, that was the weird thing about Purdy that first day. He was really confident that he could play well."

King also noted that before Purdy even became the 49ers' starting quarterback, the 23-year-old was preparing for his moment with the scout team as he made life difficult for San Francisco's defense. 

"There was a story about a practice session where he really ticked off some guys on defense," King continued. "He's the scout team quarterback, and he's playing it like it's the 7th game of the World Series instead of servicing the defense, which is what a scout team quarterback should be doing, and they were kind of getting ticked off at him and he said, basically, 'Stop me.'

"And I think on a Wednesday in September, you probably want to wring the kid's neck. On Wednesday in December, you say, 'Hey, man, that was such a cool thing that he did back then,' even though you probably hated him then."

RELATED: Kyle Shanahan not to blame for 49ers' Brock Purdy injury, Greg Cosell says

As the 49ers' offseason and preparations for the 2023 NFL season begin, so does the back-and-forth dialogue about who should be the starting quarterback between Purdy and Trey Lance.

"I've not talked to Kyle Shanahan," King said. "I don't know what he's going to do. I'll be very surprised, injury and all. If Purdy is not the opening-day quarterback, [I] won't be shocked. But I'd be surprised."

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