2022 NFL Draft: Iowa State QB Brock Purdy a late round steal?

Strengths

Purdy has a lot of experience starting at quarterback, and he could have as many as 48 career starts before his days in Ames are through.

The Iowa State quarterback shows great toughness and heart, as he’s not afraid to tuck the ball, run, and take some hits. An example of this was in the 2021 Fiesta Bowl against Oregon when he elected to run on a broken, designed pass play on 3rd and 8 in the fourth quarter. Purdy sprinted right and dove to pick up the first down with Oregon defensive end and future first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux bearing down on him.

At 6’ 1”, Purdy does a nice job of standing tall in the pocket, a la Drew Brees, and using every inch of his height to make the requisite throws he needs to.

Iowa State’s head coach Matt Campbell referred to Purdy as a “natural born leader” and passing game coordinator Joel Gordon spoke to Purdy’s intangibles and lauded Purdy for the “…natural things that he brings from a leadership role.”

One of Purdy’s biggest strengths is his ability to extend plays with his legs. He displays good pocket awareness while keeping his eyes downfield, often escaping the pocket to either throw or run, and mixes it up enough to keep defenses guessing.

Purdy uses that same mobility to keep the offense on schedule, frequently eluding pressure to throw the ball away and avoid negative plays.

When improvising. Purdy employs an impressive pump fake that he uses to get defenders up in the air, giving him new windows to throw or opportunities to pick up yards on the ground.

At his best, Brock Purdy can flash his athleticism and make accurate throws on the move, as he rolls left or right.

He also uses play-action passes effectively as they were an integral part of Iowa State’s zone read and run-pass-option offense.

On screen passes, Purdy has shown the ability to get the ball out of his hands quickly and accurately, allowing his receivers to set up their blocks and make yards after the catch.

Purdy likes to find his tight end on short and intermediate throws and can do so with consistency.

While some of Purdy’s numbers could leave more to be desired, in the film I watched, he was victimized by several dropped passes on throws that NFL receivers would have likely caught.