It's fair to say that most seventh-round picks in the NFL won't make a team this year. It's a sad rule of life that most late-round picks don't make the team out of camp as rookies, let alone have stellar careers. Brock Purdy is a rare, very-rare exception to that rule.
Yet, the San Francisco 49ers are a unique bunch. They did find Purdy, and they usually find new players who can step up and make some noise each and every season.
So, should we really count out someone like Kurtis Rourke? Some fans are high on Rourke, the rookie quarterback out of Indiana. He's not someone who should be considered as some low-cost replacement for Purdy if something happens to him, but he could develop nicely into a backup for the team. After all, the current backup to Purdy is Mac Jones. While Jones has a Pro Bowl to his name, he's as far from a Pro Bowl player as one can get.
Kurtis Rourke May Surprise Everyone and Make the 49ers Roster
He's never been truly consistent, and if there was one backup quarterback in the NFL who could be replaced by a seventh-round rookie, it's Jones. This isn't to take away from the rookie's potential, as Rourke isn't some snub. He threw 29 touchdowns and completed nearly 70% of his passes with Indiana this past season. He's far from a guy who can't sling the rock, but will the coaches see his potential as an upside over Jones' experience?
We should keep in mind that Jones can play a good game every once in a while. He didn't trip into a Pro Bowl over nothing. In a system like the Niners', should Jones has to play, he may play pretty well. He's got the talent, he's just never been consistent with it. He's capable of putting on a good game, but he's just as capable of succumbing to the pressures around him.
If Rourke can have a big camp and impress the coaches, it's very likely that the team opts to roll with the rookie over Jones. After all, we know what Jones can be six years in, while Rourke is an unknown. Stability is important at the backup quarterback spot, but so is potential production. If the coaches think Rourke can be more efficient than Jones, it's all the more likely that he gets the nod over Jones.