The 49ers’ selection of Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft might have come as a surprise to many.
San Francisco prioritized a quarterback who might not even step on the practice field as a rookie over any available offensive lineman.
But it made sense to at least one respected quarterback evaluator.
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SIGN UP HERE The 49ers added Rourke to a quarterback room that already consists of starter Brock Purdy, backup Mac Jones and Tanner Mordecai, who spent his rookie season on the team's practice squad.
“You could make the argument that he’s the most refined and nuanced quarterback in the 2025 draft class as far as timing, anticipation, consistently precise ball placement,” NFL Films’ Greg Cosell said of Rourke on the Ross Tucker Football Podcast.
“I thought he showed a strong sense of progression reading. He’s mentally tough, he’s physically tough. He had clean footwork, clean balance. Not a big arm. But you think about the 49ers’ offense, I think I pretty much described their passing game. So it made sense that he would go to a team like that.”
Rourke played the entire season with a torn ACL, which required surgery after the season. The 49ers selected Rourke with the understanding he might not be available to even begin working in coach Kyle Shanahan's system in training camp.
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Rourke was the 13th of 14 quarterbacks chosen in the draft.
He completed 69.4 percent of his pass attempts for 3,042 yards with 29 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Rourke finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting after leading Indiana to its best record in school history.
He ranked second in college football with 9.5 yards per attempt, behind only Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss. Dart was a first-round draft pick.
“I think his traits fit,” Cosell said. “I said (before the draft) he’d likely profile as a backup. But if he had to start, his ability to have success would be dependent on the offense -- a strong, sustaining run game, quick, rhythm, timing passing game, RPO (run-pass option) elements. Play action. All those things that the Niners do. So it kind of made sense.”
Cosell agreed with Tucker’s observation that former NFL quarterback Matt Schaub is a favorable comparison to Rourke.
Schaub played 16 NFL seasons and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection while playing for Shanahan, then an assistant coach with the Houston Texans.