Brock Purdy never has been one to shy away from a big moment, whether it was leading the Iowa State football program as a freshman or now taking over under center for the 49ers.
It's something his college coach, Matt Campbell, recognized in the quarterback almost immediately. And that character led Campbell to make a prediction that ended up being pretty accurate.
"When the 49ers scout came in during the season, he said, 'Man, this Brock Purdy had this incredible camp,' " Campbell recalled to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. "And I said, 'I'm gonna tell you. Something is going to happen and this guy is going to make you really proud that you guys drafted him.' "
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Well, something did happen. And after Jimmy Garoppolo went down with a broken foot in Week 13, the 49ers certainly were glad they selected Purdy at No. 262 in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Purdy came into last Sunday's game and threw two touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins, contributing mightily to San Francisco's 33-17 win.
"He's an elite competitor and he's the same guy every day. So, I really wasn't shocked that that happened," Campbell told Rapoport of Purdy's game. "He's got some of those really special intangibles that make really special quarterbacks."
When Iowa's senior QB was injured early in Purdy's freshman season, the signal-caller stepped up in similar fashion, leading the Cyclones to a 48-42 road victory over a ranked Oklahoma State team.
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"On the second TD he scores in the game, he pulls the ball, fakes a bubble screen and runs like 25 yards for a touchdown, and I remember saying on the headset, 'I don't know what's going to happen, this kid's going to win a ton of football games here,'" Campbell told Rapoport. "The kid is special."
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As the 49ers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Levi's Stadium, they'll certainly look to the rookie Purdy to replicate last week's results. And with the NFL playoffs potentially around the corner, there could be plenty more "special" moments to come.