Canadian quarterback Kurtis Rourke has been selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round, 227th overall during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Rourke becomes the first QB from Canada to be selected in the NFL Draft since Jesse Palmer in 2001.
The Oakville, Ont. native is coming off a career year at Indiana University, leading the Hoosiers to an 11-2 record and a berth 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 during his lone season in Bloomington, earning second-team All-Big Ten honours and finished ninth in voting for the Heisman Trophy.
Those accomplishments came despite Rourke playing the entire campaign on a torn ACL he re-injured in training camp. In addition to wearing a brace on his right knee, the Canuck pivot also battled through a broken thumb which required surgery and caused him to miss one game. That sent a clear message to NFL evaluators about how tough the QB is.
The 24-year-old Rourke is reportedly ahead of schedule after ACL revision surgery on January 8 and could be healthy in time for training camp. However, rehab left him watching the pre-draft process from the sidelines and took away opportunities to showcase his talents at the East-West Shrine Bowl, NFL Combine, and Indiana pro day.
Rourke began his career at Ohio University, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Nathan, to become the Bobcats’ starter. He threw for 7,651 yards with 50 touchdowns against 16 interceptions while running for 828 yards and 11 scores over five seasons. The six-foot-four, 220-pound pivot was named the Mid-American Conference’s Most Valuable Player in 2022 — the same season in which he tore his ACL for the first time.
By transferring to Indiana for his final season, Rourke was attempting to prove he could compete against Power Four competition. He exceeded that bar by spurring the program to its best-ever finish.
ESPN NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller sees a future for Rourke in the NFL.
