'I feel that's the story of my life': Former Perry QB Brock Purdy ready to prove himself again as NFL Draft nears

This isn't anything new for Brock Purdy: seeing that he could go anywhere from the third day of the NFL Draft to not being drafted at all.

During his senior season at Gilbert Perry, he was underrecruited. No Power 5 offers came until his high school career ended.

Then, early in his true freshman year at Iowa State he took over the offense and didn't look back, breaking 32 Cyclones passing records.

Now it's the highest level of football at which he hopes to get a shot.

Purdy, 6-foot-1, 212 pounds, is not listed among the top eight quarterbacks in the draft by most analysts.

"It's up in the air," said Purdy, who is back home in Gilbert, waiting for the draft with his family. "Really, I think anywhere from the fourth round to undrafted.

"But for me, I know I have what it takes to play at the next level. I feel like I'm just as good as the big-name guys in this class."

Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett, Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder, Liberty's Malik Willis, Mississippi's Matt Corral, Nevada's Carson Strong and North Carolina's Sam Howell are generally mentioned as the top six quarterbacks in this draft.

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Purdy's only workout with an NFL team was with the hometown Cardinals. He said he has had Zoom meetings with other teams. He performed at the combine and at Iowa State's pro day, both of which he felt he did well.

There were questions surrounding his decision-making and arm strength.

In Ames, he didn't have a lot of chances to throw the deep ball in an offense tailored for running back Breece Hall, who could go in the first two rounds this week.

Still, Purdy completed 71.7% of his passes his senior year, throwing for 3,188 yards and 19 touchdowns with eight interceptions, earning second-team All-Big 12 honors, a year after making first-team all-conference.

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While at home, awaiting the draft, Purdy has been back at his high school to mentor current Perry players. He has been doing workouts under the watch of Dan Manucci, his quarterback coach.

"The guy has been All-Big 12 and he's been the Fiesta Bowl MVP," Manucci said. "I feel like Brock checks every box. He's played a lot of football. He's been a top quarterback. Now it's a matter of getting to the right team, the right system.

"Brock has all of the intangibles. He can make every throw. He's got great escapability. He throws the ball extremely well on the run. I don't know if scouts realize this, but he sees the field really well. When he's moving around, he's got his head up and he's looking to throw the ball down the field before he takes off.

"And he does have that athleticism to take off if he needs to, as well."

He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.84 seconds at the NFL combine. His prospect grade was 5.57, which put him in the category of "priority undrafted free agent."

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But Purdy's not worried.

"I'm satisfied with my performance in the combine and at the pro day," Purdy said. "I showed some pretty good, accurate throws and showed off the deep ball a lot better. Overall, I'm real satisfied with what I did and where I'm at."

Being the underdog is something Purdy always carried with him through high school, as he took off his last two years. He was The Arizona Republic's Football Player of the Year in 2017, when he passed for 4,405 passing yards and 57 TDs.

"For me it's going to come down to getting an opportunity, getting in the right system," he said. "I have confidence in that.

"Honestly, I feel like not necessarily I had to prove people wrong but to prove myself right. I've always played above my shoulders, no matter what the level was, whether it's high school or college. Now it's at the professional level.

"I feel that's the story of my life. But I'm fine with that. It excites me."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Former Perry QB Brock Purdy ready to prove himself as NFL Draft nears