Two hundred and six one players were drafted behind Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy in the 2022 NFL Draft. Less than two years later, he will play the most important game in football at the most important position in the sport. It has been a wild ride, and everything started with what San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan would classify as an "intense" process.

In 2022, the 49ers were comfortable with their quarterback situation. After all, they had Trey Lance, a third overall pick from the previous draft class, and veteran Jimmy Garoppolo was still on the roster. In Peter King's pre-Super Bowl column, Shanahan shared interesting details about the process which led the 49ers to select Purdy with the 262nd and last pick in the draft.

According to Shanahan, the 49ers had actually a fourth-round grade on Purdy. But with their quarterback situation kind of set, it would be hard to invest so much in another passer. When the last pick was arriving, discussions got intense.

Other assistant coaches wanted a linebacker or a running back — there are always interesting names late in the draft, and the last pick would be an opportunity to skip the complicated undrafted free agent process with one of them. The anecdote is just too good.

"The pick's coming up and I remember [club co-chair Dr. John York] asking, 'Who's the best player out there?' I go, 'Well, there's no doubt Purdy's the best player.' He goes, 'Then what are we talking about?' I was like, 'Well, there's other spots," Shanahan told Peter King. "Also, we might be able to get him as a free agent for $10,000 after the draft.' Dr. York can't believe it. He's looking at me like, I don't get why there's discussion if you guys think he's the best player.

Since the decision to draft Purdy, San Francisco ended up moving on from the two quarterbacks who were ahead of the young passer on the depth chart. Jimmy Garoppolo left in free agency to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders, and Trey Lance got traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick.

Shanahan recalls that the 49ers wouldn't have been able to sign Purdy as an undrafted free agent.

"I'm also getting the feeling we're not getting Purdy as a free agent because there are so many other teams who are going to try to sign him. He wasn't coming to us," Shanahan added. "He's told me since then he was signing somewhere else. I said in the room, 'Let's not risk it. This guy's too good.' John and I, we took Purdy. And thank God we did."

It's true that the 49ers would probably have a hard time getting Brock Purdy as a UDFA. Last year, the quarterback talked about his draft process and indicated that the Minnesota Vikings was the likely landing spot — the Vikings have been pretty aggressive trying to land top undrafted players under general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Last year, Brock Purdy made it to the All-Rookie Team despite starting just five games. This season, Purdy got his first Pro Bowl selection and led the NFL in passer rating.

"Guy just makes plays when they're not there," Shanahan mentioned. "He does it more than any quarterback I've had. And he also is an assassin when it comes to what we’re trying to do."

Purdy's exact merit is a big topic of discussion, but the fact is that Purdy is a significant part of what the 49ers built, and it almost didn't happen.

Brock Purdy receives significant praise from Chiefs coaching staff

They’re big fans of his game.