Canadian QB Kurtis Rourke ‘excited’ to learn from San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy, Kyle Shanahan

Canadian Kurtis Rourke developed a relationship with San Francisco 49ers’ quarterbacks coach Mick Lombardi through the NFL Draft process and it led to him being selected by the Bay Area franchise.

Rourke said he spoke to the 49ers a “good amount” including at the NFL Combine.

“I had a meeting one-on-one with Coach Lombardi and talked through a bunch of great things. Definitely had a good conversation with them leading up,” Rourke said.

“I love the situation. The offence is so dynamic, it has a lot of similarities to last year at Indiana in the way they move the ball and different types of ways to attack defences. Coach Shanahan has developed a great offence.”

The 24-year-old Rourke had ACL revision surgery on January 8 and could be healthy in time for training camp in the summer. Rehab left him watching the NFL Draft process from the sidelines and took away opportunities to showcase his talents at the East-West Shrine Bowl, NFL Combine, and Indiana University pro day.

“I’m in a really good spot, I’m really excited about where I am and I’m looking forward to getting on the 49ers plan with their medical staff and starting to figure out what the future looks like,” Rourke said.

“We’ll see how things go. My mindset has always been get back as soon as I can. Definitely want to be a part of the 49ers plan and going to be pushing for as early as possible.”

The Oakville, Ont. native played through a torn ACL in his right knee during his final NCAA season with the Hoosiers. He led Indiana to an 11-2 record and a spot in the College Football Playoff. The graduate transfer completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 3,042 yards with 29 touchdowns versus five interceptions.

“I definitely stayed in the pocket a little bit more than I have in my past years. I loved being able to sit back in the pocket and beat people with my mind. That’s how our offence shifted as the season went on,” Rourke said.

“If I needed to make a play or run to get a first down, I was going to do that. The pain wasn’t crazy, it was more discomfort and something I had to work through.”

Rourke was selected in the same round, 35 picks earlier than current San Francisco franchise QB Brock Purdy. Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 NFL Draft has turned into a bonafide starter with the 49ers. He’s working on a contract extension with the team which should put him among the highest-paid at his position in the NFL.

“Definitely being able to come in a system where they took Brock a couple years ago, I’m really excited to learn from him, excited to learn from the coaching staff,” Rourke said. “They developed him into one of the best quarterbacks in the league. I’m excited to be in the organization and follow that path as well.”

Courtesy: AP Photo/Abbie Parr