Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule revealed Wednesday that his proposal to include Brock Purdy on the Panthers’ draft committee in 2022, when he was still head coach, was shot down.
Purdy, selected by the 49ers last in the draft, helped lead San Francisco to the 2024 Super Bowl, where they will face the Chiefs this Sunday in Las Vegas.
But Rhule, who now lives in Nebraska, said the signal caller caught Purdy’s attention when he was still in college.
“I think Brock Purdy is a great player because I played against him when he was at Iowa State and I put his name out there when I was in the draft room at Carolina,” Rhule said. “I said, “Guys, he’s supposed to be on the draft board.” I vetoed that, but when I was playing against Brock Purdy, people were saying, “His pump.” Don’t be fooled by fakes,” he often said.
“Because Brock comes out and fakes it. The first game, he was 10 yards down the field and he faked it. Our DB was jumping and he ran it across the line of scrimmage. I feel like I’m there, so I have a lot of respect for Brock.”
It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Purdy had been drafted by the Panthers, but in the end, the 49ers selected him with the 262nd pick.
The Panthers took one quarterback in that draft, selecting Matt Corral in the third round.
Corral was released in 2023 without appearing in a game.
Rhule played five games into the 2022 season and was fired after the Panthers started 1-4.
Conversely, Purdy led the Niners to a 12-5 record this year and is a finalist for the MVP award.
He threw for 4,280 passing yards and 31 touchdowns, leading the league with a passer rating of 113.0.
