From ESPN to PFF, every major publication has snubbed Brock Purdy from their top 10 NFL QBs lists. He was ranked by most within the 11-15 range since many experts didn’t like what they saw from him last year. They are overlooking the fact that he led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance after the 2023 season and was on the verge of winning a title.
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There’s perhaps no better example of this disregard than what the NFL organization thinks about Purdy. The league is currently rolling out its Top 100 players list for the upcoming season. They’re only as far as 35, but Purdy has yet to make the list.
Big names like Travis Kelce, CJ Stroud, Jordan Love, and Dak Prescott have all been ranked. So, it’s unlikely that Purdy is going to make it, especially after his poor season last year. This only adds to the underdog-fairy tale narrative around Purdy. That’s why he doesn’t worry about rankings.
“I’ve always felt this underdog story, and that’s been my story, man. From high school, college, to the NFL,” Purdy shared on The Richard Sherman Podcast.
Some players simply like to be disregarded. They tend to perform better when they are. This is because with praise comes expectations, which can put a great deal of pressure on a player to perform. That may have been why Purdy didn’t perform up to standard last season.
In 15 games last campaign, Purdy threw just 20 touchdowns to 12 interceptions, and didn’t even cross 4000 passing yards. A far cry from his stellar 2023 season. But there were mitigating factors.
Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey missed most of last season. These two were essential cogs in their title run in 2023.
As it is, Purdy doesn’t care about the past, lists, rankings, and where he stands compared to the rest of the league. He just wants to do his job well and help the team win.
“For me, every single year, all that matters, man, is if I’m leading these guys in this locker room, this building, this organization, and they trust me here- that’s all that matters. We’ve been able to go and show that what we do here, what I do as a quarterback, works. We’ve won games, we’ve been to the Super Bowl. It’s worked,” Purdy said.
It’s an admirable mindset that every coach would wish their starting QBs to carry. Ever since getting drafted into the league in 2022, Purdy has shown himself to be a confident and modest leader. He never makes a moment about himself and only does what’s best for the team. It’s a behavior that can be taken for granted in the grand scheme of things.
Purdy may not be a top 10 QB in the NFL, according to the experts. But he is the top guy that the 49ers want leading their team right now.
Let’s not write him off just yet after one bad season. After all, he is only one year removed from finishing 4th in the MVP voting.
