San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is no stranger to being the underdog. From Mr. Irrelevant to franchise quarterback, he has earned every bit of success that has come to him.
It appears that not everyone has acknowledged his prowess, though, as a recent list of the top 100 players by CBS was published, and Purdy's ranking was... not exactly what fans would have hoped for.
The list tabs the flame thrower as the 75th-best player in the league behind teammates Fred Warner, Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, and George Kittle. Arguably, the most frustrating is his rank among quarterbacks. Pete Prisco assessed Purdy as the 15th-best quarterback in the league.
In other words, a fringe top-half QB.
Some notable names who rank him above him on the list are Dak Prescott, Jordan Love, Jared Goff, Drake Maye, Caleb Williams, and Sam Darnold.
49ers fans forced to question the validity of list altogether
Though it's true Purdy was injured for a large portion of the season last year, he helped lead San Francisco in a fifth-rated passing attack with virtually no reliable wide receivers and an extremely limited run game. No one wideout produced more than 650 yards through the air.
The 49ers also went 8-3 in his regular-season starts, and, at 26 years old, he won his fifth postseason game. The postseason victories are more than any of the aforementioned quarterbacks.
In total, the ranking of quarterbacks is questionable at best, and Purdy may not even be the most ludicrous example. For example, Matthew Stafford was ranked as the second-best player—not among quarterbacks, but overall. Joe Burrow leapfrogged Patrick Mahomes after the latter had arguably the first down year of his career. Meanwhile, Dak Prescott, a man who has just two playoff wins to his name, ranks above players like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Derrick Henry, and Saquon Barkley.
The disrespect of the Niners' franchise QB is just one instance of the irrationality of the list, but Prisco can be added to the list of those who have yet to buy into Purdy's early success.
Fortunately, however, Purdy has a golden opportunity to rewrite that narrative this season. He is fully healthy, and he now has his X-receiver in Mike Evans, something that he hasn't had since Brandon Aiyuk caught 75 balls for 1,342 yards back in 2023.
In case anyone forgot, Brock Purdy and the 49ers made it to the Super Bowl that year.
With Evans, McCaffrey, Kittle, and numerous other young receivers ready to torture defenses, Purdy could be in line for his best year yet.
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