49ers' Williams likens Purdy to Peyton Manning: 'He'll get on your ass'
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy joined the NFL this season as "Mr. Irrelevant" and has yet to make his first career start - but that doesn't mean he hasn't done enough to impress his teammates.
"You would think he's been in the league 15 years," All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams said Wednesday, according to Bridget Condon of NFL.com. "If you're talking, he'll say, 'Shut your ass up.' He ain't no timid rookie feeling his way around. He'll get on your ass. You would think he's like Peyton Manning or something. Wide receivers not running, you'll hear him cussing a wide receiver out."
Purdy is set to start for San Francisco after Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a broken foot in Sunday's win over the Miami Dolphins. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Garoppolo will likely miss the remainder of the season, but there's an "outside chance" the veteran passer returns in the playoffs. Garoppolo began the year as the 49ers' No. 2 signal-caller behind Trey Lance, who sustained a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2.
The 22-year-old completed 25 of 37 pass attempts for 210 yards and two touchdowns against one interception in his relief appearance versus Miami after Garoppolo went down.
"When you see him and his makeup and you look at him, an undersized quarterback, 'Mr. Irrelevant,' how many 'Mr. Irrelevants' make the active roster?" Williams said. "That's the only way he could get here. It has to be his attitude, his makeup, his mentality because it's not his size. He's undersized, not a prototypical type of quarterback."
San Francisco picked Purdy with the 262nd overall pick, the final selection in 2022's draft.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Purdy joined San Francisco after playing four seasons at Iowa State. The 8-4 49ers host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14.