Some critics argue that Brock Purdy is one of the NFL's most overrated quarterbacks, especially after the San Francisco 49ers awarded him a massive five-year, $265 million contract extension. But that narrative doesn't seem to faze Purdy, who has learned to tune out the noise.
"That's been the story of my life," Purdy said this week during a radio interview, "from being a late recruit from high school to college, to the last draft pick, that's the story of my life. And I guess that's part of my story, but I just continue to be who I am and not compare myself."
While many see Purdy as overhyped, one ESPN analyst believes the opposite is true—that he is actually underrated. So much so that he named Purdy the most underrated quarterback in the NFL.
In a recent piece identifying the league's most underrated players by position, ESPN's Aaron Schatz clearly believes Purdy doesn't receive the respect he deserves.
"Many claimed Purdy wasn't a legit MVP candidate in 2023 because he received too much help from San Francisco's offensive scheme and his talented teammates," Schatz wrote. "Yet in 2024, while many of Purdy's teammates were injured, he still played very well."
The 49ers struggled through that injury-riddled season, finishing with just six wins and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020. For Purdy's detractors, it was confirmation that he couldn't carry a team through adversity the way elite quarterbacks are expected to.
While Purdy set a franchise record with 4,280 passing yards in 2023, his numbers dipped in 2024. Still Schatz argues those numbers remained impressive given the circumstances.
"One area of outside help is the tremendous yards-after-catch production of the Kyle Shanahan offense," Schatz explained. "I have a model for YAC over expectation based on the air yards and location of each pass: The 49ers led the NFL in this metric for six straight years from 2018 through 2023, but they dropped to sixth last season. Purdy's overall numbers were strong anyway.
"Overall, Purdy performs well in metrics that try to separate a quarterback from his receivers and his blocking. For example, Purdy was seventh in the NFL with a 67.9 QBR for the 2024 season. Kevin Cole's adjusted quarterback efficiency, which attempts to adjust for everything from yards after the catch to dropped passes, had Purdy seventh in value per play (ninth in total value). And Purdy was fourth in Ben Baldwin's adjusted EPA per play (which also has adjustments for pass protection)."
At just 25 years old and now one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league, Purdy will continue to face scrutiny. The criticism may only grow louder as analysts dissect his every move, looking for reasons to question the 49ers' significant investment in the young player.
"Does Purdy's huge contract extension mean he is no longer underrated?" Schatz asked. "On the contrary, some of the criticism of the extension suggests people don't understand how much better Purdy has been compared to the other Shanahan quarterbacks in San Francisco."