Brock Purdy has shouldered a lot of responsibilities entering his third NFL season.
On top of leading the 49ers, one of the top Super Bowl contenders, Purdy has the weight of an entire quarterback class on his shoulders.
On Monday, the Titans traded quarterback Malik Willis to the Packers for a 2025 seventh-round pick.
The deal constitutes another failure for quarterbacks taken in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Six of the nine taken that year are no longer on the team that selected them, and Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe could be the next to fall unless New England rosters three quarterbacks.
Purdy, selected with the final pick in 2022, is the only one who has shown he can lead a franchise.
Skylar Thompson, chosen 15 picks ahead of Purdy by the Dolphins, was recently named Tua Tagovailoa’s backup, but he didn’t show nearly as much promise as Purdy when thrust into the starting lineup in 2022.
The way the class of quarterbacks has shaken out further illustrates how the NFL draft is a crapshoot.
Thompson and Purdy were the last two quarterbacks picked in 2022. Kenny Pickett (first round, No. 20 overall), Desmond Ridder (third round, No. 74 overall) and Sam Howell (fifth round, No. 144 overall) floundered when given the reins to a first-team offense.
Matt Corral (third round, No. 94 overall) and Chris Oladokun (seventh round, No. 241 overall) have never thrown an NFL pass.
Meanwhile, Willis struggled in three starts as a rookie, completing 50.8 percent of his attempts with no touchdowns and three interceptions.
If not for Purdy, the 2022 quarterback class would be a graveyard. “Mr. Irrelevant” has saved it from being a total loss.
