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Just one year into his career, Brock Purdy has already written an improbable NFL story. The last pick in the 2022 draft, Mr. Irrelevant went from third-string rookie to NFC championship starter in a matter of months, and his unexpected poise as a near-unbeaten fill-in was the biggest reason the 49ers felt comfortable trading former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance, his predecessor, this offseason.

But there was a time, coming out of Iowa State, that Purdy was convinced he might never set foot on an NFL field.

"I'm not going to lie, I had a lot of doubt," the 23-year-old QB told Sports Spectrum, as described in the magazine's fall issue.

Purdy always believed he could play in the NFL; his mother, Carrie, insisted to Sports Spectrum's Jon Ackerman that her son has been predicting a future as an NFL QB since the age of 5. But after Purdy and his agent heard very little from NFL teams in the lead-up to the 2022 draft, the Arizona native wasn't so sure the league believed in him. So he began getting "ready for if football didn't work out," exploring alternative careers.

A year later, having replaced Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo to enter 2023 as the 49ers' unchallenged QB1, Purdy is still fighting -- and beating -- the odds. A torn UCL in San Francisco's title-game defeat required offseason surgery, but he returned to the field roughly a month ahead of schedule. He credits God for his journey, arguing "He's never done with a story, even when you think He is." And Purdy explained that his faith has actually been a driving force ever since he first questioned his football future.

"Man, my identity's got to be in something other than football," he told Sports Spectrum, "because obviously if this isn't going to work out, where am I going to go? What am I going to do? Who am I going to lean on? ... I didn't want to grip onto this life of, 'Oh my gosh, I'm in the NFL. I have a starting quarterback role. I can't lose it.' ... I was reminded of what Jesus had told us thousands of years ago in terms of, don't try to hold onto your life; you're going to lose it. The world wants you to go this way or that way. And the minute you have fame, and if you're trying to chase status and money and all this stuff, you'll lose your life -- rather than denying yourself, picking up your cross, keeping your eyes on Jesus and His promises. ... That's life and that's a life worth living."

Entering 2023, Purdy believes his improbable story will grow. He doesn't know how it will unfold exactly, but he's confident God is "going to write out something that's pretty beautiful."