National Football League

Matt Rhule wanted to draft Brock Purdy with Panthers but was 'vetoed'

Published Feb. 8, 2024 10:04 a.m. ET

Matt Rhule claims he was overruled when he wanted to draft Brock Purdy during his time as Carolina Panthers head coach.

Now the head coach at Nebraska, Rhule told reporters that he pleaded with the rest of the organization to consider selecting Purdy in the 2022 NFL Draft, but his colleagues didn’t listen.

"I think Brock Purdy is an amazing player cause I played against him when he was at Iowa State [and Rhule was the coach at Baylor]. When I was in the draft room at Carolina, I brought his name up," Rhule said. "I said, ‘Hey guys he should be on the draft board.’ I got vetoed on that one, but we used to tell guys when we used to play Brock Purdy, ‘Do not fall for his pump fake.’

"Because Brock would come out and he’d pump fake. First game, he’s 10 yards down the field, he pump fakes. Our DBs are jumping, and I’m like ‘he’s past the line scrimmage.’ So a lot of respect for Brock."

Whether Rhule’s comments are revisionist history or not, he did get a good look at what Purdy could do in college. The former Iowa State quarterback defeated Matt Rhule’s Baylor squad as a true freshman in 2018, completing 18 of 23 passes for 230 yards and a passing touchdown, adding 56 more yards and a score on the ground. Rhule got revenge a year later, but Purdy put up another solid performance against Baylor in Rhule’s last season with the program, completing 27 of 45 passes for 342 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

If the Panthers wanted Purdy that badly, they would’ve had several chances to select him in the 2022 NFL Draft. Purdy was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the final pick of the draft that year and the Panthers passed on him six times, including three times in the final two rounds. The Panthers also selected a quarterback in the third round that year, trading up to select Matt Corral. They also traded for veteran Baker Mayfield a couple of months later, making him their starting quarterback heading into the 2022 season.

Those moves ended up being the final nail in the coffin for Rhule’s tenure in Carolina, though. The Panthers got off to a 1-4 start in 2022 as they had quarterback struggles for the third straight season, causing him to be fired five games into the season. Mayfield was also released by the Panthers before the 2022 season ended, while Corral was cut prior to the start of the 2023 campaign, missing the entire 2022 regular season due to a Lisfranc injury.

Meanwhile, Purdy wouldn’t make his NFL debut with the 49ers for another two months. He replaced an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in December that season, winning every start until he was hurt in the Niners’ NFC Championship Game loss.

Purdy ended up being one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this past season. He threw for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with a league-high 113.0 passer rating.

Is Brock Purdy proving he's ready for the moment?

Purdy’s play has led the 49ers back to the Super Bowl. He helped San Francisco overcome a pair of second-half deficits this postseason in order for it to reach Super Bowl LVIII.

Rhule was back in the college game by the time Purdy made his first NFL start, becoming Nebraska’s coach in November 2022. The Cornhuskers went 5-7 in Rhule’s first season at the helm. There appears to be some momentum, though, for Rhule, who landed the 18th-best recruiting class in 2024 following Wednesday's signing day, per 247 Sports. He also got the quarterback he wanted this time, signing top quarterback Dylan Raiola as part of the class.