Rankings are admittedly subjective and if you polled 100 people you’re likely to get 100 iterations of a top-QB list, but what I wouldn’t expect is what San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy‘s ranking has been revealed to be by The Ringer.
He’s not in the top-5, and that’s not a surprise, as that’s optimistic even for the most ardent 49ers fan. Scrolling down and you won’t find him in the top-10, which features Dak Prescott (6th), Trevor Lawrence (8th) and Geno Smith (10th). Arguments can be had, but it seems realistic to place him in that spot.
Certainly, we’ll find him in the top-15.
- 11th – C.J. Stroud
- 12th – Jordan Love
- 13th – Kyler Murray
- 14th – Jared Goff
- 15th – Kirk Cousins
OK, it’s time to double-check the domain to make sure it doesn’t say The Onion. It doesn’t.
Sixteenth-Best Overall? Really?
Purdy, he of the 17-4 regular season record, the man who is 4-2 in the postseason, having thrown 6 TD to just 1 INT, and oh yeah, he led two game-winning drives during the 2023 NFL Playoffs (and could have had three, but we’ve talked enough about that), has been ranked No. 16 overall by The Ringer in their annual QB rankings.
In one passage, they somehow discredit Purdy because — this is real — the game is coming too easily to him? Read for yourself.
“Evaluating Purdy’s physical abilities isn’t the tricky part, though. It’s judging his decision-making in an offense that provides whoever is leading it a uniquely wide margin for error. Purdy isn’t the processing genius some of his fans make him out to be, but he’s also not a mistake-prone quarterback who just throws games away. He’s somewhere in between. Figuring out exactly where may require seeing him work with a higher degree of difficulty.”
He’s Good At Other Areas, Though, Right?
The rankings consisted of six different categories, then blended into an overall ranking. Let’s take a look at how Purdy placed in the other categories.
- Accuracy – 16th
- Arm Talent – 29th
- Creativity – 15th
- Decision Making – 14th
- Pocket Presence – 14th
- Timing – 15th
Wow. Doing a little research to see if this is simply one outlet’s blatant disrespect or a more widespread underrating of Purdy, these tidbits came to light.
NFL.com ranked Purdy No. 13 overall, but with a salient point, saying, “This probably seems criminally low for Purdy, a quarterback who went from Mr. Irrelevant to NFC champion in a very short amount of time. Most QB compilations ahead of the season will probably include Purdy in the top 10, and that’s reasonable.” That’s a more fair assessment.
The Athletic puts Purdy at No. 12 overall, with not a glowing review but again, a balanced take, noting, “I’m not saying he is Kurt Warner, but he reminds me of that type of body. Not big, not a great arm, but he’s accurate, he knows when to get rid of the ball, he’s sharp, he’s a little bit better athlete than you think.”
CBS Sports gives Purdy a ton of love at No. 6, gushing that “Yes, he enjoys a luxurious setup under Kyle Shanahan. He’s also been far more efficient and explosive as an off-schedule point guard than Shanahan’s previous figureheads. To the critics: What more can he do?”
At the end of the day, the Mr. Irrelevant moniker hangs over Purdy’s head and influences the national media more than it should. Coming off a fantastic season in which he was seconds away from winning a Super Bowl title, he deserves more respect than he’s getting. A win this season erases all this negativity, all the naysayers and all the hot takes meant to push 49ers faithful down.
