Last season’s remarkable finish by 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy threw a curveball into the Offensive Rookie of the Year discussion. A race dominated all year by Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III, Saints wide receiver Chris Olave and eventual winner Jets WR Garrett Wilson suddenly had a new contender who played the sport’s most important position.
Ultimately a six game sample wasn’t enough to get Purdy the award. He finished third in the voting though after completing 67.1 percent of his throws for 1,374 yards with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions while holding a 5-0 record as a starter in the regular season.
His unlikely rise into the awards discussion got us wondering whether the 49ers could see another rookie make the jump this year. San Francisco didn’t pick until No. 87 in the draft, which certainly dampens their chances, but Purdy was the final pick in the 2022 draft. He had the longest of odds and still carved out a space among the league’s best offensive rookies last season.
Lets run through this year’s crop of 49ers draft picks and put them in order from most to least likely to land in the rookie of the year conversation: