49ers quarterback picked in shocking CFL Draft selection amid Brock Purdy contract rumors

Billy Heyen

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49ers quarterback picked in shocking CFL Draft selection amid Brock Purdy contract rumors image

The San Francisco 49ers are looking to extend Brock Purdy for a lot of money. 

But they recently used a seventh-round NFL Draft choice to bring in Kurtis Rourke as a potential long-term backup from Indiana.

Rourke, who was a stud at Ohio University before a stellar 2024 with the Hoosiers, possessed a few of the same traits that made Purdy successful and seemed like a great pickup at the price.

But late on Tuesday, things got a bit confusing.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders used the 25th overall pick in the Canadian Football League draft to select Rourke.

It's an immediate risk for the Roughriders, who might never get Rourke if he sticks around the NFL.

MORE: Shedeur Sanders reportedly tanked his pre-draft interviews

On the flip side, seventh-round QBs don't always make it. They'd want to have the CFL as an option.

Rourke, who is Canadian and has his brother Nathan playing in the CFL, is an even extra special case. 

He couldn't play both for the 49ers and Roughriders at the same time, but there still may be a decision to be made.

It seems likely that Rourke will come to 49ers training camp and go from there. If he can make the team, why not stick around? If it's not possible, then maybe the Roughriders are his landing spot.

It's a worthy risk for Saskatchewan, for sure. Rourke would've gone much higher than 25th if there wasn't the 49ers complication.

So stay tuned to see what happens. It could have implication on two major football leagues.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle