Brock Purdy stepped in and played great for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2022 season, and many are hoping that Purdy recovers from elbow surgery in time to be the team's starter in week 1. Former 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia is buying the Purdy hype.

“The thing about Brock Purdy, he knew where to go with the football,” Jeff Garcia said with KHTK 1140AM, according to Jack Hammer of The Press Democrat. “He didn't take a lot of sacks. He didn't make a lot of mistakes. When things broke down around him, he lengthened the field with his feet. He became a threat as a runner. I'm not going to say those were certain things that reminded him of me, but there were things out there like that. Hey, he's a smaller stature guy but that doesn't matter. He understands the game. He understood defensive coverages. He understood what was going on offensively and where to go with the football and that was impressive.”

Purdy is still recovering from his UCL surgery that he had this offseason as a result of the injury he suffered in the NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Other quarterbacks who could get playing time if Purdy is not ready for the start of the season are Trey Lance and Sam Darnold. Trey Lance is a former first-round pick by the 49ers, while Sam Darnold was a former first-round pick who was brought in via free agency this offseason.

The 49ers have a strong roster that would likely be able to stay afloat until Purdy returns, but it is clear that Jeff Garcia would like Purdy to play as soon as possible.