NFL.com just released a fascinating article.

It’s an NFL mock draft, which means if every player were a free agent and there was a big draft to redistribute players around the NFL, who would get picked first? And which 49ers player would get picked first?

Most people wouldn’t consider Brock Purdy to be the 49ers’ best player. But in an NFL re-draft, he absolutely would be the first 49ers player off the board. And he certainly was the first 49ers player taken in Chad Reuter’s NFL mock draft. Purdy went 12th to the Broncos.

“It’s easy for me to envision head coach Sean Payton loving the mental and physical toughness Purdy has brought to the 49ers,” wrote Reuter.

Purdy certainly would be a good fit for Payton who coached Drew Brees for more than a decade.

It’s interesting that Purdy got picked after Jalen Hurts and Jared Goff in this article. You could argue that Purdy should have gone ahead of both of them and landed in the top 10. Because even though Purdy lacks arm strength and wouldn’t fit every offensive system in the league, enough teams run a version of Kyle Shahahan’s system that Purdy would be in demand.

It’s also interesting that the first 14 picks in this article are quarterbacks. The first non quarterback who’s drafted is Myles Garrett who goes to the Colts at pick no. 15. So Purdy officially is more valuable than the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

No wonder the 49ers will make Purdy the highest-paid player on the team and one of the highest-paid players in the league next year.