NFL Draft: Record 14 quarterbacks selected as teams try to find their Brock Purdy

It's easy, and perhaps lazy, to suggest the NFL is a copycat league. Sometimes, however, that comparison is apt. After seeing the success the San Francisco 49ers experienced with seventh-round quarterback Brock Purdy last season, NFL teams appear desperate to hit on their own version of Purdy in the 2023 NFL Draft.

That might explain why a record number of quarterbacks have already been selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. With the 164th pick in the draft, the Minnesota Vikings selected BYU quarterback Jaren Hall. That selection made Hall the 12th quarterback to be taken in the draft, setting an NFL record within the first five rounds in the Common Draft era, which began in 1967.

Hall is considered a talented player who fell in the draft due to injuries. When healthy, Hall has shown strong upside. Over the past two seasons, Hall has 51 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. He added 657 rushing yards and six rushing scores in 22 games.

The number of quarterbacks drafted would end up hitting 14, the last of them being TCU star Max Duggan, who went 239th overall to the Los Angeles Chargers.

With Hall setting the record and Duggan capping things off, here's the full list of all the quarterbacks taken in the 2023 NFL Draft.

First round
• Alabama QB Bryce Young to the Carolina Panthers at No. 1 overall
• Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud to the Houston Texans at No. 2 overall
• Florida QB Anthony Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts at No. 4 overall

Second round
• Kentucky QB Will Levis to the Tennessee Titans at No. 33 overall

Third round
• Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker to the Detroit Lions at No. 68 overall

Fourth round
• Fresno State QB Jake Haener to the New Orleans Saints at No. 127 overall
• Georgia QB Stetson Bennett to the Los Angeles Rams at No. 128 overall
• Purdue QB Aidan O'Connell to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 135 overall

Fifth round
• Houston QB Clayton Tune to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 138 overall
• UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson to the Cleveland Browns at No. 140 overall
• Penn State QB Sean Clifford to the Green Bay Packers at No. 149 overall
• BYU QB Jaren Hall to the Vikings at No. 164 overall

Sixth round
• Stanford QB Tanner McKee to the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 188 overall

Seventh round

• TCU QB Max Duggan to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 239 overall

As for who inherited Purdy's mantle of Mr. Irrelevant, that honor belonged to Toledo defensive lineman Desjuan Johnson, who was drafted 259th overall by the Los Angeles Rams.

NFL teams looking for a late-round star at quarterback

The emergence of Purdy likely contributed to teams taking shots on more quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft. After being the last pick in last year's draft, Purdy was pushed into action after the 49ers were hit with a number of injuries.

That may prove to be a franchise-altering moment for the 49ers. Purdy played well in five regular-season starts, throwing 13 touchdowns agains four interceptions. He took that momentum into the playoffs, where he threw three touchdowns and no interceptions in a win over the Seattle Seahawks in the wild-card round. Purdy also led the team to a win over the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional playoffs before getting injured against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game. With Purdy unable to throw passes, the 49ers failed to mount a comeback against Philadelphia and lost the contest 31-7.

Purdy underwent surgery to repair his UCL in his right elbow in the offseason. If healthy, the 49ers have indicated Purdy would be the team's starter going into the 2023 season. That's quite the development for literally the last player taken in 2022.