SANTA CLARA — A week ago, Brock Purdy was waving to adoring fans before and after throwing out the first pitch at a Giants game — missing impromptu catcher Kyle Harrison entirely.
“I try to keep it simple in terms of who I am as a person,” Purdy said Tuesday after a 49ers’ offseason practice. “There are people that come up and want pictures and it’s like I was that kid and I always wanted whoever I was looking up to to give time and just be a human and talk. Take a picture. Sign some stuff. I always remember that, trying to give to people the best I can and not be put on a pedestal.”on a pedestal. Maybe even a throne, given that he’s the quarterback of the 49ers.
Purdy has a vice grip on the role of team leader, and it was evident in his own low-key way at practice, directing young receivers and backs to their proper spots in route progressions. The whole elbow thing is a distant memory. He overthrew at least one receiver in the end zone while standing on his own 45-yard line.
Purdy’s first legitimate offseason has given him a greater appreciation for his professional home and a sense of community. In April,Brock Purdy and his wife Jenna sit courtside at Stanford’s NCAA Tournament game against Iowa State on March 24. Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group