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The San Francisco 49ers are working to extend Brock Purdy after selecting him with the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. This season, Shedeur Sanders was the talk of the draft, and John Lynch sent him a message after his draft slide.
Lynch has seen firsthand with Purdy that a player's slot in the draft does not determine the success that player will have. Purdy has led the 49ers to a Super Bowl and two NFC Championships despite being passed on until the final selection. He reiterated that message to Sanders during his post-draft press conference.
"There's a lot of time and we're all doing our work, but then you're sitting up there and this was a story that kind of was prevalent," Lynch said. "I think more than anything, just empathy, that's tough for a young man. But I know that he's a competitor. I know that he's got his opportunity now and I think we tell people all the time, it's not when you go, it's not where you go, it's what you do with that opportunity.
"He's got that opportunity in Cleveland and I'm excited for him. I remember seeing him down at Jackson State, his true freshman year, and really enjoying getting to know the kid. A lot of things are said about him, but now he gets to go prove that he's worthy of that pick by the Browns and we wish him nothing but the best."
Many experts and fans expected Sanders to be the second quarterback taken in this year's draft. However, he fell out of the first round. The Cleveland Browns passed on him twice at the top of the second round. He ended up with the Browns in round five.
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Sanders led college football in completion percentage and led the Big 12 in passing yards, completions, passing touchdowns, rating and yards per game. Despite that, he ended up sliding. There are rumors that his attitude and Deion Sanders' influence played a role.
Sanders played for the 49ers in 1994. He won Defensive Player of the Year that season and was an All-Pro. His lone season in San Francisco ended in a Super Bowl. He is a Hall of Famer, but was very vocal about he and his son dictating where he would play.
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