Despite his consistent success since taking the reins of the 49er offense, Brock Purdy still isn’t viewed inside the league as one of the best quarterbacks in the game.
That’s at least according to the latest ranking of the top-10 players at the most important position, compiled for ESPN by Jeremy Fowler through a poll of NFL executives, coaches and scouts.
Purdy, following a 2025 season in which he missed eight regular-season games through injury, did not feature in the top 10.
However, was listed as one of the honorable mentions, with a NFC executive praising Purdy for boasting two “superpowers”.
“He has got two superpowers,” the executive said, per Fowler. “Layering the ball and short-area quickness to stay alive. He’s elite in those two areas.”
The ability to layer the ball to fit it over the heads of linebackers and in front of the safeties is a crucial trait for quarterbacks operating in Kyle Shanahan’s system, given the prevalence of intermediate throws over the middle of the field in the scheme.
While he does not have the arm strength of several of the quarterbacks who cracked the top 10, Purdy’s touch in being able to consistently deliver accurate layered throws is a key reason why the 49er passing offense has improved since he ascended to the starting lineup back in 2022.
His short-area quickness has also served to raise both the floor and the ceiling of the attack. Purdy’s athletic traits obviously aren’t on the same level as Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, but his proclivity for escaping pressure, extending plays with his legs have added a dimension to the 49er offense that simply wasn’t there previously.
The 49ers hoped they were getting an Allen-level talent when they drafted Trey Lance in 2021, but the threat Purdy offers as a thrower and a runner outside the pocket has helped compensate for the fact that did not prove to be the case.
San Francisco does not have an elite athlete under center but, with Purdy, the 49ers have a signal-caller with a combination of traits that allows them to consistently produce superior offensive production compared to teams that do.
Between his two “superpowers”, his underrated processing ability and his willingness to be aggressive in pushing the ball deep, Purdy’s mix of traits make him an excellent fit for Shanahan’s offense as a quarterback who can operate superbly within the structure of the offense and find ways to keep things on track when that structure break down.
Purdy may not have the beguiling traits of the quarterbacks considered among the gold standard, but the abilities he does have, combined with the play-calling mastery of Shanahan, are enough for the 49ers to go into 2026 confident their offense will again be one of the best in the game.
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