Ranking the NFL Starting Quarterbacks

#11 Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers)

From Mr. Irrelevant to leading by 3 in overtime of the Super Bowl in less than a 2-year span. It’s been an incredible start to Brock Purdy’s career.

There are, of course, many who doubt Purdy’s ability because he’s been placed into an absolutely amazing situation with the 49ers. The talent San Francisco has in the running game, on their offensive line, and in their pass catchers, combined with Kyle Shanahan’s offensive scheme, seems like a setting in which any quarterback could excel.

That’s obviously not the case, though (see Trey Lance).

Purdy’s physical skills don’t blow anyone away, so it’s easy to think that he’s just a “system” quarterback. But it’s the nuance to his game and the way he orchestrates the offense that separates him from some of the other quarterbacks considered to be “system” players. He’s a value-add to Shanahan’s offense, not merely a product of it.

Above all, his processing and anticipation stand out. Purdy has shown the ability to create completions against tight coverage with his anticipation skills on a consistent basis:

That ability to quickly process and anticipate has certainly served Purdy well against pressure. In fact, he was the second-highest rated passer against the blitz in his first full NFL season. Just look at a play like this to understand why:

Not only did Purdy make an exacting throw off his back foot with a defender in his face there, but you can also see that the ball was out well before his receiver had turned around:

Purdy’s poise under fire and ability to handle pressure helped him in some big moments last season as well. This next play was a 3rd down in overtime of the Super Bowl. It doesn’t get much bigger than that. But Purdy recognized the blitz and understood that the free rusher in his face would be picked up by his running back, who was coming across the formation. That’s not easy to do:

Notice how he again got that ball out before his receiver had turned his head around too. That’s a big-time throw in the biggest of moments.

Here’s another example of how unflinching Purdy has shown himself to be in the face of pressure, willing to stand in the pocket and deliver knowing he’s about to get hit:

Another nuanced aspect of Purdy’s game is his pocket movement. He has a natural feel for where pressure is coming from and how to find soft spots to throw from:

Finally, Purdy has 2nd-reaction ability that separates him from similar quarterbacks like Jared Goff, Tua Tagovailoa, and Kirk Cousins. This was on display in key moments of the NFC Championship Game last season in particular:

It doesn’t matter if he has a clean pocket, a muddied pocket, faces a 4-man rush or a blitz, gets the ball out early in the down or late in the play, or is throwing shallow, intermediate, or deep. Purdy has shown the ability to thrive in just about every situation.

Check out the rest of the rankings here:
#32 Bo Nix (Denver Broncos)
#31 Drake Maye (New England Patriots)
#30 J.J. McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings)
#29 Gardner Minshew (Las Vegas Raiders)
#28 Will Levis (Tennessee Titans)
#27 Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Browns)
#26 Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts)
#25 Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers)
#24 Daniel Jones (New York Giants)
#23 Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders)
#22 Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears)
#21 Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks)
#20 Russell Wilson (Pittsburgh Steelers)
#19 Derek Carr (New Orleans Saints)
#18 Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
#17 Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)
#16 Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars)
#15 Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)
#14 Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins)
#13 Kirk Cousins (Atlanta Falcons)
#12 Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles)
#11 Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers)
#10 Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers)
#9 Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys)
#8 C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans)
#7 Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)
#6 Aaron Rodgers (New York Jets)
#5 Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)
#4 Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
#3 Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)
#2 Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
#1 Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)