This week, Nick Shook unveiled his latest quarterback rankings for NFL.com, placing San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy just outside the top 10, at No. 11. The ranking marks a one-spot improvement from last week, but Shook remains cautious about moving the third-year quarterback higher until he shows growth in one key area: consistency.
"Purdy's peak performances have been spectacular, but like the rest of his team, he's lacked consistency this season," Shook explained. "Kansas City twisted him into a pretzel in Week 7 and he struggled in a Week 5 loss to Arizona. On the bright side, Purdy overcame a quiet first half by keying an offensive explosion in the third quarter in the 49ers' most recent game, which powered them to a bounce-back win over the Cowboys heading into the bye."
Despite some reservations about Purdy's play, he's on pace to set a new single-season franchise record for passing yards, surpassing the record he set last season. Purdy would eclipse 4,400 passing yards through 17 games at his current rate.
However, there are concerns. Purdy has thrown seven interceptions compared to only 10 touchdowns, his completion percentage has dropped from 69.4% last season to 64.5% this year, and his passer rating has declined from 113.0 to 93.7.
Team injuries have likely contributed to the statistical decline. After some early struggles, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was lost for the season, and running back Christian McCaffrey has yet to make his season debut. However, McCaffrey is expected to return against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this weekend.
"If he can iron out the wrinkles in tandem with his teammates, Purdy should climb (the ranking) -- and we might be reminded of San Francisco's place among NFL contenders," Shook concluded.
