Despite taking the NFL by storm late in the season, and nearly helping the San Francisco 49ers reach the Super Bowl earlier this year, many executives and coaches around the league believe that quarterback Brock Purdy is among the worst in the league.
Brock Purdy was one of the best stories in the 2022 NFL season. The 23-year-old was the final pick in last year’s NFL Draft and was given the unfortunate designation of “Mr. Irrelevant.” As the final selection in the event, the prospects of him being an impact player in the league were highly unlikely. So when he was unexpectedly thrust into the role as the San Francisco 49ers starter late last season, many thought the team’s championship hopes were doomed.
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However, the Iowa State standout was a revelation as he helped to turn what was a struggling offensive unit into one of the best in the league over the final six weeks of the season. The rookie signal-caller won his six regular season games as the starter and then was impressive at times in the postseason. However, an elbow injury early in the NFC Championship game derailed his and the 49ers’ season.
What Purdy was able to do in the 2022 campaign made him a name across the league and San Francisco enters the 2023 NFL season with lofty aspirations despite his limited action in the league. Yet, while he impressed many football fans, it seems that a significant amount of league executives and coaches still need to see a lot more before they are believers in the 49ers QB.
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San Francisco 49ers starting QB considered the 24th-best in the NFL
On Tuesday, The Athletic published a survey of over 50 execs and coaches from around the NFL to get a ranking of the league’s starting QBs heading into the start of the new season. As one would expect, reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes topped the list and was followed by Bengals star Joe Burrow, and Bills franchise face Josh Allen.
However, when it came to Purdy, he landed near the bottom at 24 on the list of 30 quarterbacks. Only Kenny Pickett, Jordan Love, Baker Mayfield, Sam Howell, Desmond Ridder, and Gardner Minshew were considered worse than him.
While one person polled raved about the San Francisco 49ers QB for being “an absolute gamer” and appreciating his intangibles, moxie, and leadership, another was far less complimentary.
“You put him on any other team and they lose more than half the games,” an offensive coach said. “They got the best-rushing offense, they got the top defense, he doesn’t make mistakes and he makes some plays with his legs, he gets the ball out. Good for him.”
Another strong season from Purdy will surely quiet the doubters he still has ahead of this season.