Despite his stats topping the leaderboards and taking the 49ers to the Super Bowl in his first full season as the starting quarterback, Brock Purdy can't seem to earn the league-wide respect he seemingly deserves.
He also can't escape certain labels.
On top of being called a "game manager" for most of the 2023 NFL season, Purdy's secondary tag -- a "system quarterback" -- was one of the reasons he was left off of an ESPN survey of league executives, coaches and scouts, who ranked the top 10 quarterbacks ahead of the 2024 season.
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"He's very good at navigating the pocket, buying time, using his legs -- you're not going to win because of him in most cases," an NFC exec said in the survey. "He's a really good system quarterback."
Purdy instead was declassed to the honorable mentions list, behind Jared Goff, Dak Prescott and C.J. Stroud.
The 24-year-old led the NFL last season with a 113.0 passer rating while throwing 31 touchdowns, guiding the 49ers through a strenuous NFC playoff path to the big stage of Super Bowl LVIII.
Additionally, Purdy has a 17-4 regular-season record and is 4-2 in the playoffs, and he earned Pro Bowl honors in just his second NFL season. He also ranked at the top of several league metrics in 2023, including yards per attempt (9.6), yards per completion (13.9) and passer rating (113.0).
San Francisco 49ers
Despite all this, naysayers believe 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan's system and offensive scheme make it easy for the young quarterback to find success.
While that could be true -- Purdy could benefit under Shanahan's play-calling -- it's what the Iowa State product, who went from Mr. Irrelevant to Pro Bowl quarterback, has done with his opportunity that matters.
"It's hard to call him top 10 based on the guys ahead of him, but it's hard to keep him out of the top 10, too," a separate NFC executive said. "He willed that team to the Super Bowl. Only right to give him serious consideration."
Tough crowd.
It is a good thing that Purdy doesn't focus too much on the outside noise -- whether positive or negative. He is just focused on playing football and helping his team win games, something he already has proven to be capable of.
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