Mr. Irrelevant to Purdy-mania: Brock Purdy's journey through the NFL

Judging from the early returns, Purdy Mania is back and bigger than ever in the Bay Area, and in Arizona's East Valley, too.

Brock Purdy, who went from being Mr. Irrelevant — the last player taken in the 2022 NFL Draft — to a record-breaking starter late last season for the San Francisco 49ers, is at it again.

Coming off surgery on his throwing elbow that knocked him out of the NFC Championship game, Purdy has led the Niners to a 3-0 record heading into Sunday's home game against the Cardinals.

Here's the timeline that took Purdy, the pride of Gilbert Perry High School, from the operating table to operating on opposing defenses in less than a year.

2022 season: Brock Purdy takes the NFL by storm as a rookie

To understand where Purdy is today, it's important to remember where he's been. The last player drafted in 2022, Purdy was third on the 49ers depth chart behind Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. Lance injured his ankle in Week 2, Garoppolo his foot in Week 13, leaving the Iowa State product to start as a 23-year-old rookie against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Purdy became the first NFL quarterback to beat Brady in his first start, and didn't look back. He won all five of his regular-season starts, capped by a 38-13 pasting of the Cardinals, to lead San Francisco to a 13-4 record and the NFC West title.

He followed that up with playoff wins over the Seahawks and Cowboys, setting the stage for a conference championship meeting with the Eagles in Philadelphia. But it didn't end up as much of a game. On the 49ers' first possession, Haason Reddick sacked Purdy as he was preparing to pass, and ended up injuring his right elbow. He missed the rest of the half, giving way to another rookie, Josh Johnson. He, too, was knocked out of the game early in the second half with a concussion. Purdy gamely tried to rally the 49ers but only managed to attempt two passes the rest of the way.

Feb. 22, 2023: Did Purdy's injury create quarterback drama with 49ers?

The confetti was barely cleared from State Farm Stadium after Kansas City's Super Bowl 57 win over the Eagles before the murmurs started in San Francisco.

It was already clear that Purdy's injury, a torn ulnar collateral ligament, would require surgery and a lengthy recovery period. Would he be ready for training camp? Or the 2023 season? And would this mean an open quarterback competition between Purdy, Lance and Garoppolo?

Not really. Pretty much from the start, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said all the right things about Purdy being his No. 1 starter, and General Manager John Lynch said in March that Purdy "has earned the right" to be the starter.

March 10, 2023: Surgery, recovery for Brock Purdy

Purdy underwent successful surgery on his elbow to repair his UCL with an internal brace, the 49ers announced. The NFL Network's Mike Garafolo said the plan was for Purdy to begin throwing in three months, with an expected recovery in six months. The surgery had been postponed due to ongoing inflammation, per nfl.com. The decision to delay the surgery came at the recommendation of Purdy's surgeon, Dr. Keith Meister. The delay of a few weeks was not expected to impact his recovery timeline.

March 16-17, 2023: 49ers quarterback cast changes

In two days Purdy lost one potential challenger to his starting job and gained another. First, former Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold signed a one-year contract with the 49ers. The next day, Garoppolo signed a three-year, $67.5 million contract to be the Las Vegas Raiders' starter.

July 2, 2023: 'Here's to forever:' Purdy becomes engaged!

During his rehab, Purdy found time to propose to his girlfriend, Jenna Brandt, sharing the news on an Instagram post. "My Jenna girl forever," Purdy wrote. "I can't wait to be your husband and grow together in Christ. Here's to forever babe. I love you JB."

July 25, 2023: Purdy cleared to throw, but the air remains cloudy

Lynch and Kyle Shanahan met with the media as the 49ers began training camp, and it was announced that Purdy was fully cleared to throw and would not be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list for camp. This does not stop speculation over his ability to be ready to start opening day. Said Sports Illustrated: "(Purdy) is expected to contest for the starting quarterback job with former No. 3 pick Trey Lance, who was long seen as the team’s franchise quarterback in waiting following the departure of Jimmy Garoppolo. Lance’s season ended in September after a broken ankle, ultimately leading to Purdy’s rise and success under center. But, there is plenty of uncertainty around who the team’s starter will be heading into the season."

Aug. 3, 2023: Kyle Shanahan bullish on Purdy's recovery

One day after practice the 49ers spoke highly about Purdy's recovery process. “He’ll get there. He’s doing some good things,” Shanahan said, via Pro Football Talk. “We’re not worried about Brock. Brock’s the real deal, he knows how to play and we just have to have our team keep getting better and we’ll keep getting better as we go.”

Aug. 8, 2023: Guess who's first on the 49ers depth chart at quarterback?

The first depth chart released by San Francisco technically was considered unofficial, but it pretty much put to rest any doubt about Purdy: he was listed as the No. 1 quarterback ahead of the 49ers' first preseason game.

Now, there were no plans for Purdy to play in that contest. In fact, it was pretty much impossible, because Purdy's been kept on what amounts to a pitch count in camp. The plan by Shanahan and Lynch was to have Purdy practice two days on, two days off, then move to one day off between back-to-back practices.

On Aug. 14, those restrictions were removed.

Aug. 19, 2023: Purdy's first preseason action

San Francisco's second preseason game was home against the Denver Broncos, and Purdy played just one series, going 4-for-5 for 65 yards and scrambling for eight yards. “Yeah, no, it felt really good just to be out there with the guys in a game environment. Obviously, just get the nerves out a little bit,” Purdy told nfl.com. “Just the buildup to a game and everything, and then being able to get an early completion to Deebo (Samuel) and get things rolling. So, it felt really good to be able to get out there and drive and honestly, just be in a game environment, like I said. So, yeah, I’m excited about it.”

Aug. 25, 2023: Last roadblock removed for Brock Purdy

The 49ers eliminated any thought that Purdy could be unseated when they traded Lance to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick. This was less than three years after trading three first-round picks to draft Lance third overall.

The Associated Press reported that Lance had lost the competition to Darnold to be Purdy's backup earlier in the week, setting the stage for his Lance's departure just hours before the 49ers played their exhibition finale against the Los Angeles Chargers.

2023 regular season so far: New year, more records

Purdy has led the 49ers to wins in their first three games: at the Steelers (30-7) and Rams (30-23) and the home opener last week against the Giants (30-12). Those three victories extend his streak of wins without a loss to start an NFL career to eight, the third-longest string in history behind Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger (15 from 2004-05) and Chicago's Mike Tomczak (10 in 1986-87).

In San Francisco's Week 1 win in Pittsburgh, Purdy became the first quarterback to win his first six regular-season starts while also throwing multiple touchdowns in each game. He is also the first to register a QB rating of at least 95 in each of his first six starts. Both of those streaks ended the following week in Los Angeles.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Brock Purdy is pretty relevant for the San Francisco 49ers