Brock Purdy, the 49ers’ starting quarterback right now, has a bright future ahead of him, but it took them decades to find a suitable franchise quarterback. The parallel to previous No. 1 overall choice Alex Smith is made much more intriguing by the contrast of Purdy as a “Mr. Irrelevant.”
Smith was anticipated to be the 49ers’ next great quarterback when he signed on as the first pick in the 2005 NFL draft. That wasn’t how things ended up, and Smith is now candid about how difficult it was.
“And to suddenly be the first pick, those were things I never had to deal with as a 20-year-old.” I received one scholarship offer to college. All my life, I had been operating under the radar. Just now, without warning. I had a lot of expectations placed on me. In an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area on May 16, Smith stated, “It was a lot.” I had the need to be flawless. As anyone would guess, trying to play quarterback as a rookie when you’re not experienced is surefire.
It’s evident that Smith doesn’t attribute the 49ers’ problems on him. But that was only the start of Smith’s problems; the spotlight was too strong in San Francisco.
Smith is not exaggerating when he says that his first season is a recipe for disaster. Mike Nolan, the former head coach of the 49ers, had many difficulties in his role. To begin with, throughout his rookie season, he had a back-and-forth relationship with Smith.
Smith’s repeated injuries were partly to blame for that, but it would have been better to just let him sit and learn. The former Niner averaged 98 yards per game while throwing 11 interceptions to 1 score in 9 outings.
The following year, Smith didn’t improve much either, but at least he remained healthy. However, a shoulder injury and a difficult surgery put a stop to his career between 2007 and 2008. He missed the whole 2008 season following his seven-game 2007 season.
Smith gradually changed the course of his career after it. But his best years were ahead of him, as he made three Pro Bowls in five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.
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