San Francisco 49ers fans went into a bit of a frenzy last week when it came out that quarterback Brock Purdy did not make ESPN’s list of top-10 quarterbacks based off the rankings of anonymous NFL coaches, executives, and scouts.
An advanced stat seems to refute that, though, and Purdy defenders are having a field day.
In a graph titled “QB EPA per Play: Inside Pocket vs. Outside Pocket” for the 2025 season, Purdy is in elite company as his face falls on the part of the graph that reads, “Elite Everywhere” where he is in the same company as Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love and last year’s MVP, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford:
A look at quarterback EPA per play inside and outside the pocket.
Brock Purdy, Matthew Stafford, and Jordan Love all stood out as highly effective in both situations last year.
Inside/outside pocket designation via @FTNFantasy charting. pic.twitter.com/17zsw8L2ly
— Nutshell Sports (@NutshellSportz) July 15, 2026
Now, EPA may not be everyone’s cup of tea. It’s sort of like the stat, WAR, in baseball where it seemingly came out of nowhere and was used by the baseball nerd types to justify certain decisions that were baffling to the old-school mindset.
Folks like David Lombardi use EPA a lot to defend Purdy and claim that he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, which may be overselling him just a bit. But it seems clear the people who watch Purdy closely generally have a pretty high opinion of him as a player.
Whether it’s an all-time great like Tom Brady or Joe Montana, or a current-day edge rusher like Maxx Crosby, they all have a lot of praise for Purdy, which is telling. The people who have actually played in the NFL at the highest level know Purdy is a legitimate player. Many may want to find every flaw, whether it be his size or weaker arm, and point to it as evidence that he’s not that great, but that just isn’t consistent with reality.
What should be clear to everyone is that Purdy is the perfect quarterback for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense. He has the brain to process what he is seeing and go with the right read more often than not, but he also has the athleticism and fearlessness to make a play out of the pocket if things break down or he doesn’t get the look he expected.
Shanahan’s trust in Purdy is evidence that the Iowa State product was seemingly made for the offense he likes to run. The coach clearly has more belief in him than any other quarterback he’s had in San Francisco.
Purdy may not truly be considered “Elite Everywhere” as the graph claims until he wins a Super Bowl, but at least there is data out there to refute the notion that he is not a top-10 quarterback, even though 49ers fans know that’s what he is when he’s healthy and playing at his best.
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