The NFL is releasing its ranking of the top 100 players in the league, and there was a bit of controversy after Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was ranked ahead of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. This doesn’t make much sense, especially considering what Mike Evans decided to do in free agency.
Mayfield was ranked No. 77 overall, while Purdy came in at No. 85 overall. These rankings are obviously somewhat arbitrary and subjective, but it’s the slow part of the offseason, so why not dive into who is truly better between Mayfield and Purdy?
It’s tough to compare last season because Purdy missed half the year, but Mayfield completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 3,693 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 17 games.
Meanwhile, Purdy completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 2,167 yards with 20 touchdowns and 10 picks in nine games played. Over the course of a full season, Purdy was on track to have more touchdowns than Mayfield, but he probably would’ve had more interceptions as well.
What about since 2022, which was Purdy’s rookie year? In that span, Mayfield has a 65.3 completion percentage for 14,400 yards with 105 touchdown passes compared to 45 interceptions in 63 games.
Purdy, on the other hand, has a career completion percentage of 67.9 for 11,685 yards with 84 touchdown passes and 37 interceptions in 49 games played.
They’re basically pretty equal when looking at the stats, but the tiebreak should go to Evans, considering he had a choice in free agency this offseason and chose Purdy over Mayfield.
This doesn’t mean he thinks Mayfield is terrible or anything, but Evans has played with Tom Brady. He knows good quarterback play when he sees it, and at this point in his career, he decided he was better off having Purdy throw him the ball than Mayfield.
The fact Purdy now has Evans on his team will make him a better quarterback. The Niners have a better supporting cast for Purdy than the Bucs have for Mayfield, so as long as Purdy stays healthy, he should put up better numbers than Mayfield.
Evans' decision speaks volumes and tips the scales in the debate decidedly in one direction. Mayfield is unquestionably a good quarterback, but Purdy is better and the NFL rankings do not reflect that. Perhaps that will change after this season, especially if Purdy and Evans go off and establish a magical connection.
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