Brock Purdy‘s rise to stardom in San Francisco has been as rapid as it was unlikely. The former seventh-round pick — a “Mr. Irrelevant” as the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft — has won all six of his regular-season starts since taking ver as the 49ers‘ quarterback late last season, and it seems he has earned the respect of his teammates in the Bay.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is one of the 49ers who gets along the best with Purdy, as he revealed during an appearance on local radio Tuesday. Aiyuk, now in his fourth NFL season, said he enjoys playing with the former Iowa State signal-caller and described how his high level of confidence has trickled down through the locker room.
Purdy has poise
Speaking on the “Murph and Mac” show, Aiyuk — fresh off recording two touchdowns in San Francisco‘s Week 1 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers — said Purdy has an “it” factor that he can’t quite define. But the former Arizona State Sun Devil said he knows an “it” factor when he sees it.
Aiyuk has had multiple starting quarterbacks — including Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance — since he entered the NFL as a first-round pick in 2020. But he says the 49ers believe they’re going to win every time they step on the field since Purdy took over.
“Purdy, I’m enjoying playing with him,” Aiyuk said. “He gives us confidence every single week. He gives us a bunch of confidence. So much confidence going in every game that not only are we going to win the game, but you have a chance to have a great game as well. So I’m loving playing with him.”
A strengthening connection
Purdy and Aiyuk linked up eight times at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday — including twice for touchdowns. Aiyuk recorded 129 yards receiving and already appears well on his way to a second consecutive 1,000-yard season.
San Francisco will face tougher challenges than the Steelers‘ defense, but the season-opening 30-7 win was a statement — Purdy looks here to stay, and Aiyuk could be his #1 receiver. Trust has a lot to do with that, according to Aiyuk.
“I think trust is very big. We talk about it in our offense all the time,” he said. “If the quarterback can trust we’re going to be in a spot, where we’re supposed to be, then we can complete passes even when we have terrible looks. We can still continue to complete the ball, move the sticks, keep the offense flowing. And I think trust is the main thing with that.”
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